tenebraevesper

[tenebraevesper]

Annoucement

Due to my upcoming eye surgery, I'll be taking a break from writing for at least two weeks, if not longer, since the recovery might take up to a month or two.

I hope you all enjoyed the latest FNaF chapter.

Until next time, see ya!

[tenebraevesper]

Five Nights at Freddy's: Obsolete, Night 25: HAPPS

''We will find you, terrorize you, and ensnare you in a bear suit.''

– They'll Find You by Griffinilla (Five Nights at Freddy's 2)

xXxXxXx

Just a few more seconds, Aiden thought. The offshoot was right around the corner.

But it wasn't.

When Aiden sped toward where he expected the offshoot to be, his heart plummeted into his gut.

The offshoot wasn't open anymore. Like the other one, it was now covered by a safety barrier.

Aiden was trapped. And Happs was getting closer.

''Out. With me,'' Happs ordered him. The robot's crackly voice was way too loud, which meant that it was way too close.

Aiden didn't look back to see just how close Happs was. He didn't want to know.

Given no other choice, Aiden tore past the blocked offshoot. It was instinct to keep going. But Aiden knew his flight from Happs was futile now.

With the offshoots blocked, Aiden was now caught in a closed-off loop. All he could do was go around in a circle.

Happs's calamitous pursuit had been activating security barriers all along. Aiden had been essentially herded like an animal into a killing zone. He had nowhere to go. But still, he kept crawling.

As Aiden crawled, he didn't allow himself to think anymore. If he thought, he'd have to ask himself the questions he didn't want to ask:

How long could he stay ahead of Happs? How long would it be before Happs's out-of-control passage through the looped pipe would damage it enough to partition it off even more? How long would it be before Aiden died the same way Jace had?

As Aiden crawled through the pipe, he couldn't help but see the kids beyond the pipe's plastic walls, and he realized he had gotten his wish. He was invisible.

xXx

It had been about two and half weeks since the Pizzaplex had opened and it seemed to be only growing in popularity, even in the now chilling weather. Sam continued her work at both Freddy's and the Pizzaplex, as well as attending school without any greater personal incidents despite regularly checking in on any kind of events that might happen in her absence at either location. While nothing major had happened, at least from what she heard, that didn't mean that nothing happened.

In fact, Fazbear Entertainment seemed to be already showing that they didn't care that much about their employees, as predicted. Whenever Sam would show up at the Pizzaplex, she would overhear her co-workers complaining about their conditions, mainly about how the upper management didn't care that much about safety, their employees or the fact that even if you bought a Faz-Cam inside Monty's Gator Golf, it would be taken away from you because flash photography was prohibited and put up for sale again. Of course, the Faz-Cam could only be bought at Monty's Gator Golf.

''It is a very clever marketing plan,'' Springtrap commented when he heard about it, while Sam facepalmed in exasperation.

''Tell me, was Fazbear Entertainment always this petty?'' Sam asked. She was well aware of Fazbear Entertainment's corruption, noting how the company literally had you sign a piece of paper stating they're not responsible for your death and they'll be removing any corpses on the premises and cleaning them up with bleach, so she wasn't that shocked they couldn't care less about safety of their employees and visitors. Instead, she was baffled that Fazbear Entertainment would be willing to fire an employee for not serving Chicken Alfredo to some brat who couldn't understand that they didn't even have Chicken Alfredo on the menu. Apparently, the guy who fired that employee also got fired since the S.T.A.F.F. Bots also don't know how to make Chicken Alfredo.

''From what I can recall, yes, Fazbear Entertainment has always been like this,'' Springtrap answered with a sheepish smile. Sam just gave him a glare, with Springtrap being well aware why she was annoyed at him. Being the one who had managed the business side of Fazbear Entertainment way back at the beginning, he was also partially responsible for this corruption, even taking advantage of it whenever he could. However, that didn't mean that he was responsible for how the current Fazbear Entertainment ran the Pizzaplex. ''I suppose it comes as a surprise to you just how bad things can get since the location you worked at before this actually had a competent manager.''

''Yeah, you're right, but still- I feel like I'm losing my braincells because of Fazbear Entertainment's greed. At least in your case, it is understandable that you would be taking advantage of the corruption just to murder more people and hide your crimes… which is just as bad, if not even worse,'' Sam added after she realized what she just said. She shook her head. ''Point is, this is getting ridiculous.''

''What's worse, this is just the beginning.''

Despite the ominous tone, there was a tone of amusement in Springtrap's voice, as if he was looking forward to seeing how far the new owner of Fazbear Entertainment will go before the company goes up in flames once more. There was also a part of him that hoped that this person would also meet an unfortunate end. After all, this was his and Henry's dream, and despite all the tragedy that caused its downfall, he wasn't too fond of the idea of what they had created together falling into the hands of someone else. If he still had been alive, he probably would've taken over the company himself.

''Springtrap, do you have a moment?''

Springtrap snapped out of his thoughts, turning towards Freddy as the latter approached him. He was currently at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, reminiscing about the past days after he had managed to scare off a group of kids by telling them a tale about having an animatronic assistant who could fetch you anything you wanted, including body parts.

''What do you need?'' Springtrap asked.

''Bonnie is scheduled to attend a birthday party in a couple of hours, but his voice box is acting up, so I was hoping that you'd know how to fix it. I know that Sam is the technician, but considering how she's at school and won't be out for another few hours, you're all we got now,'' Freddy explained.

''Don't worry. I'll have that solved in a moment,'' Springtrap told him, walking towards the Parts & Service room, where Bonnie was waiting for them. The former businessman and engineer noted how the Showtime Animatronics were now quite comfortable in his presence, which he saw as a good sign. It was still a weird feeling, though, considering how he spent most of his life destroying the trust of everyone he came across.

As for Freddy, he was at a point where he accepted Springtrap as a member of the band, mostly because he knew that he couldn't get rid off him, but also because he became someone they could rely on. He and his friends didn't have to fear that another murder would happen at their little restaurant and while he was certain that his predecessors would be furious at him for letting the man who had caused so much suffering walk around freely, he wanted to believe that things have changed for the better. Still, he had to wonder whether his successor knew anything about their dark past and whether he would be able to handle the worst case scenario.

xXx

Glamrock Freddy felt his inner battery running out of power as he still entertained children with a smile. He knew that he needed to recharge as soon as possible, but it was a little difficult to get away from the crowd that surrounded him. He was stuck.

''Hey, kids! How about you let Freddy rest for a moment? He doesn't look well.'' Freddy looked up, spotting Bonnie waving at the children, who seemed to have finally realized that Freddy needed to get his mandatory recharge and decided to join Bonnie.

''Thank you for the help, Bonnie. You are a real savior,'' Freddy told his fellow Glamrock co-worker and best friend, looking relieved and thankful for the much needed aid.

''It's fine. You should go recharge before you malfunction,'' Bonnie replied, with Freddy nodding and going towards the closest charging station. Bonnie was well aware that, being the main mascot, Freddy would obviously have to shoulder the brunt of visitors and parties, leaving the animatronic exhausted. This is where Bonnie came in, taking over for Freddy and making sure his closest friend didn't overheat and break down. He would feel devastated if something like that ever happened.

Fortunately, Freddy got the rest he needed and he returned to the group while holding up a rolled-up poster. ''Thank you for taking over. I actually wanted to give you this earlier, but I was too busy to find the time.''

Bonnie took the poster, unfolding it, only for his jaw to drop in surprise when he realized that it was a signed poster of his best friend saying ''YOU & ME FOREVER & EVER — LOVE FREDDY''. He turned to Freddy, quite elated over the poster and even hugging the bear animatronic. ''Thank you so much Freddy! I'll make sure to hang it up in my room right away.''

''I am glad that you like it,'' Freddy replied, waving as Bonnie left.

The blue bunny animatronic was on his merry way to his room when he passed by Superstar Daycare, where he ran into the Daycare Attendant, who was hanging around at the entrance, not wanting to leave the children that were playing inside without a care in the world, but also clearly looking for someone.

''Is something the matter?'' Bonnie asked, noting just how upset his fellow co-worker looked.

''It's really bad! I've been searching all over for Happs, but I can't find him anywhere! I need his help cleaning up the mess made at the playground!'' Sun said, frustrated.

''Wasn't Happs also assigned to Freddy's Fortress? Maybe he's somewhere in the tube maze,'' Bonnie said, pointing at the tubes that were recently installed all over the Pizzaplex.

''He should've already returned by now,'' Sun insisted.

''I'll ask around, okay? Maybe one of the employees knows something,'' Bonnie suggested.

''You do that. I need to tend to the children now,'' Sun replied, vanishing into the daycare. Bonnie then walked away, wondering what might've happened to Happs and determined to find someone who would help Sun find the elusive robot.

xXx

''So, Happs is has vanished and you want us to find him?'' Sam summed up the current situation after having gotten a detailed description from the Daycare Attendant after Glamrock Bonnie directed her and Springtrap to the Superstar Daycare.

''You are the only one who is even remotely curious about Happs whereabouts. I decided to take my chances since none of the employees cares about a missing maintenance animatronic,'' Sun said.

''I see. Do you have an idea where Happs might've gone?'' Sam asked.

''Last time I saw him, he went into Freddy's Fortress,'' Sun told her, pointing at the tube maze going past the daycare. ''I have asked around, but nobody saw him come out, so he might still be inside the maze.''

''Got it. The easiest way to confirm this would be to go inside the tube maze by myself and find him. Maybe he got stuck,'' Sam said.

''Sam, are you sure about that? This maze covers the entire Pizzaplex. You either might end up stuck in the maze or take ages to locate Happs,'' Springtrap told her.

''Don't worry, I have a plan. Just give me a moment,'' Sam told the two, leaving for the back of the building and going to the employee area. Springtrap and Sun exchanged glances, waiting a few minutes until Sam returned with a pair of walkie-talkies and what appeared to be a map.

''What's this?'' Springtrap asked when Sam handed him the map over.

''It is a blueprint of Freddy's Fortress. They used this when they built the maze and then just left it,'' Sam explained, giving Springtrap the spare walkie-talkie. ''While I crawl around the maze, you'll be directing me through the various sections so I don't get lost.''

''That's smart,'' Sun commented, while Springtrap just grinned, well aware that Sam was more than capable of coming up with plans like this. Both of them knew that it would be hard to communicate due to the maze consisting of a special polymer that made it difficult for people outside to hear, so having both the walkie-talkie and the blueprint made things easier for them, especially since they were well aware how parts of the maze may have been blocked by Happs with a mirror for maintenance reasons.

The two then followed Sam to the entrance to Freddy's Fortress, watching her climb into the tube maze and disappear. The walkie-talkie then crackled, with Springtrap and Sun hearing Sam's voice through it.

''It's Sam. Do you two read me?''

''Loud and clear. Let's just hope that we won't lose the connection, because knowing Fazbear Entertainment, something might malfuction,'' Springtrap said.

''Yeah. Anyways, I have managed to reach the part where the maze branches out. Where should I go?'' Sam asked.

''Give me a moment,'' Springtrap muttered, looking down at the map.

''I guess you could go into any direction,'' Sun noted.

''Considering how we don't know anything about Happs's whereabouts, we will have to comb through each section carefully,'' Springtrap replied. ''Let's try going right for now.''

''Got it.''

Sam took the rightmost path, slowly crawling through the tubes. At first, she had a general idea where she was going, but eventually, the tubes slowly started to look all the same to her and it was getting difficult to memorize all the turns she took. Fortunately, she could see through the tubes to some extent, even if the people below her couldn't see her, and she spotted Springtrap and Sun following her path. It was a comforting thought – the fact that she had Springtrap guide her around the Pizzaplex, ensuring her safety. She then followed to the next pipe opening, only to stop when she ran into a mirror. She reached for the walkie-talkie.

''I have to stop here. There's a mirror blocking the path.''

''I understand. Go back to the previous junction and wait there.''

''Got it!''

Sam crawled back, feeling her knees already ache. She knew that it would take a while until she cleared the entire Freddy's Fortress and found Happs and she was already regretting agreeing to this. She wasn't surprised that none of the staff members wanted to participate in this search. The way Fazbear Entertainment has been treating them meant that, if the company didn't care, they didn't care… until Fazbear Entertainment started to care, causing a mad scramble for the employees to get into their good graces to not get fired. Sam figured that she was lucky enough that she didn't have to deal with that, since her situation was more about infiltrating the Pizzaplex to ensure that more tragedies won't happen.

''Agh!''

Sam was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice how she put her hand on thin air before sliding down face-first straight into a ball pit. She sat up, looking at the rubber balls and shaking her head, while the walkie-talkie crackled.

''Sam, are you okay?'' Springtrap's concerned voice came through.

''Yeah, I'm fine. I just landed in the ball pit,'' Sam replied, looking around.

''Hadn't I told you that you were crawling towards one?'' Sam could almost see Springtrap raising an eyebrow, causing her to chuckle.

''Yeah, you did, but I just lost myself in my thoughts, so I didn't notice.'' she replied, scrambling out of the rubber ball pit. ''Which way should I take now? I was thinking about going down the yellow-and-purple tube.''

''If you take that one, you'll be just going in circles. That one was built as a huge loop,'' Springtrap told her after taking a look at the map. ''There is an offshoot to the left, though, so you could take that one. But it will take you a while to get to the next area.''

''I'll take my chances,'' Sam said, crawling into the yellow-and-purple tube and kept on until she found the offshoot, an opaque pipe that led her through a maze of bends and turns until she reached what appeared to be a partition. She reached for the walkie-talkie. ''No dice. This one is blocked off.''

''That's strange…'' Sun's voice came through. ''This pipe is supposed to lead to a junction area and it should be available for everyone.''

''Wait… It seems like something… Ah!'' Sam reached for the partition, noting how there were scratch marks on the plastic. It took her a bit of moving around, but she managed to knock the partition down. ''I think someone tried to get through into that area after Happs closed it off.'' She crawled ahead, only to stop when she found herself staring ahead, unsure whether to continue when she realized that the tube was shaking. ''I think this one's loose.''

''Be careful!'' Springtrap warned her. He and Sun had managed to reach the part where Sam was, observing how there was a blocked area that, as Sun put it, should've been accessible. It was a web of pipes that lead to the highest parts of the Pizzaplex, where no one would even notice the tubes. Springtrap frowned as he stared at where the tubes led, having a bad feeling about this whole thing.

''Agh!''

''Sam! Sam! What happened?!'' Springtrap shouted into the walkie-talkie in concern. The last thing he needed was for Sam to get hurt on his watch.

''I'm fine! I just stumbled into that blocked-off area! I feel a little sore, but nothing's broken! I think that pipe from earlier broke off and someone tried to hastily fix it.'' Sam's voice came through the walkie-talkie. Springtrap sighed in relief. ''I'll try to explore it. Maybe Happs got stuck here and that's why we can't find him?''

''Fine, but be careful. These tubes go high up and if one of them breaks off, it's going to be a hard fall,'' Springtrap replied. He and Sun continued following Sam, exchanging information about their whereabouts respectively until she managed to find her way to the bottom of the Pizzaplex, sounding quite exhausted.

''This maze feels like it's never going to end,'' Sam complained as she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. ''There is still no sign of Happs. I think I should return and find another path.''

It must've been an hour or so since Sam crawled into the tubes and she made her way through another offshoot, this one turning a bit more interesting than the previous one. ''Okay, that's strange.''

''What is it?'' Springtrap asked.

''Every few turns I take, I come across more and more of those mirror partitions. Do you have any idea why those parts are closed off?'' Sam asked.

''No, there doesn't seem to be any reason for that,'' Sun said, looking up at the tube maze above. ''We aren't in a restricted section of the Pizzaplex either.''

''Yeah, I can see you two from my position. I'll be taking a right turn here…'' Sam trailed off, following a tube that led to a slide that ended up in another ball pit. ''Oh, God…''

''Sam, what happened?'' Springtrap asked, feeling chills when he heard her voice.

''A foot- There's a severed foot here!'' Sam's shocked voice came through.

''A animatronic foot right?'' Sun asked, sincerely praying that was the case.

''No, it's a human foot! There's also blood- Wait-'' There was sudden silence on the other side, with Sam's voice, now cold and hollow, coming through moments later, ''I see the body. There's a corpse inside the tube.'' She paused, adding in a mirthless tone, ''I guess now we know why this area was blocked.''

''Sam, get out of the right now! You're in danger!'' Springtrap shouted. He could hear banging through the walkie-talkie, well aware that Sam was now scrambling to get out of the tube maze. ''Do you think you can go back through the slide?''

''It's pretty steep. I think I'll have to go ahead,'' Sam replied, her voice way calmer than Springtrap expected. Truth to be told, she was already used to finding corpses.

''There is a junction ahead. If you take the right side, you should get to a lower level of the maze,'' Springtrap directed her, him and Sun following the tube.

''Oh, what should we do? If this was Happs-'' Sun got cut off by Springtrap.

''This was Happs. I don't know why, but he is the only robot inside that maze,'' Springtrap said, his tone firm. Then, as if to confirm that statement, they heard another voice over the walkie-talkie, this one being raspy and broken.

''Out. With me.''

xXx

''Sam!''

Sam crawled as fast as she could through the maze, having jammed the walkie-talkie so she could hear Springtrap's instructions while she was stuck in a mad chase with Happs. The robot certainly saw better days, having a cracked face and his arm joins having snapped. His grin resembled more of a sneer, and his foam hands and spiky metal pinchers had been ripped off, exposing the sharp metal. His telescoping extender had also been damaged, resembling a serrated knife. Frankly, Sam saw worse, having been friends with the Drawkill Animatronics, but still, she wasn't going to come anywhere near Happs now that he was in this state.

''Out. With me.''

''Then go back the other way and I'll follow!'' Sam hissed. Unfortunately for her, Happs couldn't care less about her demand, instead following her like a madman. She was a little faster than him, avoiding getting her own legs amputated as she turned left as per Springtrap's instructions,… only to run into a goddamn mirror partition. ''Damn it!''

Sam managed to get away from the mirror partition just in time as Happs swung his arm at her, going through another tube. She could briefly see Springtrap and Sun following her, with Springtrap suddenly shoving the walkie-talkie and the map into Sun's arms and running off. She hoped that the bunny animatronic had a plan for this, because Happs was relentless in his pursuit.

''Take the left at the next junction. There is a ladder you can climb down,'' Sun instructed her. Sam did as instructed, barely missing another swing from Happs that almost caught her leg. Fortunately, the ladder slowed Happs down and she could get some distance from him, only to get an instruction from Sun that baffled her. ''Stop right there!''

''Wh-What?! Why?!'' Sam felt her heart racing as she heard Happs behind her. She froze, not understanding why Sun would tell her that, only too look down and find Springtrap standing on a table with a fire axe. She had managed to get to a lower section of the tube maze, allowing Springtrap to swing at the plastic with the fire axe and break through the seams that connected the tubes. Pieces of plastic were flying around, with Sam turning her head and seeing Happs right behind her. She suddenly lunged forward and through the broken tube, ending up safe in Springtrap's arms, with a searing pain spreading from her leg. ''Agh!''

Sam opened her eyes as she heard a loud crash behind her. She managed to turn her head just at the right angle to see Happs on the floor, with Sun holding the axe Springtrap had discarded to catch Sam. She glanced then at her leg, her trousers torn at the side where Happs caught her. She was bleeding, but fortunately, it didn't seem like anything was severed.

''Out. With meeeeee,'' Happs whined, only to for an electronic screech to be emitted from his voice box as he attempted to get up. He was stopped when Sun suddenly brought down the fire axe, hacking at the exposed wiring until the robot stopped moving.

''I don't like violence, but this was a life and death situation,'' Sun said, staring at Happs. ''I'm sorry, buddy.''

''You know, I'd feel better if you put the axe down,'' Sam told him, with Sun lowering the weapon in question.

''Never mind that, you're bleeding,'' Springtrap said, keeping a tight grip on Sam as he carried her bridal style towards the employee-only area to get the first-aid kit. ''Sun, you go and tell the head of security what we have found. After this, I don't think anyone will be allowed into Freddy's Fortress.''

Sun nodded, doing as he was told, while Springtrap brought Sam into the staff room, grabbing the first-aid kit and looking at the bleeding gash below her knee. ''I think you'll need a new uniform.''

Sam snorted as he started to rip off the torn clothing so he could get to the wound, hissing as he cleaned the wound and wrapped the bandages around it. ''What do you think will happen when Fazbear Entertainment learns about this?''

''They'll cover it up,'' Springtrap said in a matter-of-fact tone. ''I'm more concerned that you will get in trouble.''

''You mean Fazbear Entertainment? The worst they can do to me is fire me, and even that's not going to stop me from coming back,'' Sam sighed, feeling her hands shaking. ''I'm more upset that Happs ended up killing that kid. What's worse is that it looked like he was stuck there for some time.''

''I wouldn't be surprised if there are more corpses,'' Springtrap muttered. He knew that there wasn't anything they could do about this, since Fazbear Entertainment would find a way to escape the consequences. They always did.

xXx

As predicted, the aftermath of the Happs incident resulted on a part of Freddy's Fortress getting blocked for ''maintenance reasons'', with Fazbear Entertainment removing the parts where the bodies of not one, but two kids were found. Fazbear Entertainment launched a private investigation, concluding that not only was it the two boys' fault for crawling into a restricted section of the tube maze, but also damaging their property, resulting in Happs malfunctioning and killing them in what they called an ''unfortunate incident''. The story was believable and what was worse, the father of one of the boys, Aiden, didn't seem to care that much that his son died. At least, that's what Sam and Springtrap heard from their fellow co-workers.

Sun was upset that Happs would be removed from the Pizzaplex, meaning that he was stuck cleaning and maintaining the Superstar Daycare on his own, but he could manage. As for Sam, she was also punished for damaging her uniform and for the tube Springtrap had broken to save her by having money from this month's paycheck being taken out for the repairs of the tube maze and replacement for the uniform. She couldn't care less about that.

''I have talked to Mr. Crane about Happs and he said that after he ran diagonstics on the robot's programming, it turned out that he was just malfunctioning due to the damage he had sustained,'' Sam explained. She was currently at home, resting on the couch while recounting together with Springtrap what had happened to Emma (who was furious over how Fazbear Entertainment treated her daughter), Matt (who visited her to check on her) and Michael, Sammy and Elizabeth (who already knew that this was what would happen).

''In other words, this isn't Glitchtrap's doing,'' Springtrap added.

''Yeah, that sounds like what I had been dealing with while working at Freddy's. Except the bodies would be stuffed into animatronic suits,'' Michael commented, but was only heard by Sam, Springtrap and his siblings.

''Honestly, I hate that you had to put yourself through this, sweetheart,'' Emma said, glancing at Sam's injured leg.

''I think that it could've been worse,'' Matt said, drawing everyone's attention. ''You said that Happs was malfunctioning and trying to get you out of the tube maze. Imagine if he actually intended to kill you.''

''Considering how I've already been in a situation like this, I can imagine that quite well,'' Sam said, then gave her mother an assuring look. ''I'll be fine. The wound isn't that deep.''

''Do you think they'll be removing the whole Freddy's Fortress?'' Elizabeth asked, turning to her brothers and her father. Sammy and Michael shrugged, while Springtrap answered, ''Maybe? Freddy's Fortress is quite expansive, so they might remove it after they realize how difficult it is to maintain it. Not to mention, trying to cut costs.''

Emma and Matt gave him a confused look, because from their perspective, Springtrap was talking to no one, but they soon realized that he was probably answering the question one of his children asked. They were made aware of Michael, Elizabeth and Sammy's return, with the Afton children deciding to stick around for the time being. Sam and Springtrap were the only ones able to see and talk to them, but it seemed that Matt could somehow sense their presence. Emma also had a little interaction with them, with Elizabeth having managed to draw her attention by slamming the door shut.

Emma then sighed. ''In any case, I guess we're going to expect more of these kinds of situations in the future, right?''

''I don't know. I'm not trying to get myself killed intentionally,'' Sam replied in a snarky tone.

''Oh, really?'' Emma rose an eyebrow. Sam furrowed a brow, staring at her mother. She knew that, while Emma was worried about her, she would allow Sam to do whatever she deemed necessary regardless of the consequences. Sam knew that she was lucky that Emma understood the task at hand, because if she actually acted like a normal parent, she would forbid Sam from stepping a foot in the Pizzaplex ever again, even with Springtrap's protection.

''It is still awful that Fazbear Entertainment got away with this,'' Matt noted.

''They'll probably get away with more things in the future. The one question that remains is how far things will escalate,'' Springtrap concluded in a grim tone.

Links:

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[tenebraevesper]

William in the novels/movie stated that he saw the animatronics/kids like a family and that he's one of them, so him hating children makes zero sense. Not to mention, being an entertainer, he would know how to draw them in. You don't have to hate someone to be abusive towards them.

I know the common idea is that William Afton hates kids, but what about the slightly more horrifying one:

he doesn’t hate them, in fact, he’s really good with them. Kids naturally gravitate towards him because he’s a warm presence. If his DBD lines say anything, it’s that he is charismatic and he uses that to his advantage. That adds a whole new level of sinister to him I think.

[tenebraevesper]

Dead by Daylight | Five Nights At Freddy’s Launch Trailer

[tenebraevesper]

The Animatronic - William Afton/Springtrap (DbDxFNaF)

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Five Nights at Freddy's: Obsolete, Night 24: Reunion

''We can only roam when the monster's put to rest. I just want to go back home and get rid of all this stress. Now I'm all alone, seeing nothing but the dark. I walk without the fear that'll only go so far.''

– Afton Family by KryFuZe & APAngryPiggy

xXxXxXx

''I… I think I saw Glitchtrap.''

Springtrap and Emma stared at Sam, looking shocked when she confessed. Both immediately got on their feet, walking over to Sam, with Emma placing her hands on her shoulders as if shielding her, while Springtrap knelt down to be at her eye-level and held her hands, as if fearing that someone might take her away from him and Emma.

''Sam, are you okay? Perhaps you should sit down,'' Emma suggested. Having been dealing with the supernatural and learning more about Sam and Springtrap's work, she already understood that this was serious. Sam shook her head.

''I wanted to tell you that back when Theresa bullied me, I would either feel Glitchtrap's presence or even see him, and I would have those moments when I'd black out and feel this sudden urge to just end the lives of those who make me miserable,'' Sam said, forcing herself to admit everything she had been going through.

''But, you didn't fall for it,'' Springtrap said, with Sam shaking her head again.

''No, because I knew what was going on and I wasn't going to give in so easily,'' she said in a steady tone, although Springtrap could feel her fingers tremble.

''That's a relief,'' Emma said.

''I'm sorry for keeping this a secret, Mum,'' Sam told her mother, who just smiled back assuringly.

''Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm happy that you trust me enough to share that with me,'' Emma replied, sighing. ''Honestly, it would've been worse if you told me that you've been drinking and smoking behind my back instead of dealing with the supernatural.''

''You can't be serious,'' Sam pouted, rolling her eyes. She did smile in spite of herself, something Springtrap took note of. He knew that Emma just wanted to lighten the mood to make sure that her daughter felt comfortable talking about this stuff.

''You said that you saw and sensed Glitchtrap whenever you were in a stressful situation in the presence of someone whom you hated,'' Springtrap said, drawing their attention. Sam nodded sharply. ''Then, I guess that I don't have to tell you what that means.''

''I know. It's not all too different from those children trying to harm me, although Glitchtrap is in a whole another league,'' Sam said.

''Then, what do you want to do?'' Emma asked, ready to help her daughter no matter how.

''Unfortunately, there isn't anything that we can do,'' Springtrap said, earning a glare from Emma that screamed 'Really?! You got nothing?!'. He got up, staring at the two. ''Unless a spirit has direct access to their victim, they can only manipulate them when they are at their weakest. Sam had shown emotional vulnerability, which allowed Glitchtrap to target her. At the same time, she has shown resilience, meaning that she won't fall victim to any kind of possession, at least not without a fight. Me and you know about her situation also guarantees that we'll know what to do if this happens again.''

''So, there is no imminent solution?'' Emma asked. Sam shifted her gaze from her mother to Springtrap.

''There are only two ways to stop this from happening. Either Glitchtrap loses interest in Sam, which I doubt will happen, or we eliminate him, which is going to be even harder to do since we're dealing with a piece of soul that somehow gained its own individuality and can use a video game to influence people,'' Springtrap replied. Emma took a deep breath, glancing at Sam.

''How do you feel?'' she asked. Sam shrugged, still looking weary, with Emma adding. ''If you want to skip school for the sake of your mental health, I can call your teacher. Just tell me how long you want to stay at home.''

Sam was baffled, and even Springtrap gave Emma a bewildered look. He frowned. ''Who are you and what did you do to Emma?''

Emma shot him an annoyed look. ''Point is, you've been dealing with a lot of stuff. The most I can do is to excuse your school absence and give you time to recover. How you're going to use it is up to you.''

''Thanks, Mum,'' Sam replied with a smile, looking relieved. ''Then, I want the rest of the week off.''

''Sounds reasonable enough,'' Emma said. Sam then left, going back to sleep, with Springtrap turning to Emma.

''You know that she'll be immediately going to Freddy's now that she has free time,'' he told her.

''I know, and I think she needs this. She had been spending months avoiding talking about what had happened after you were gone, and her mental health got worse. Now that she's confronting all of this, she's getting better. It may sound contradictory, but it is what it is,'' Emma explained. ''Not to mention, you'll be keeping an eye on her.''

''True… Still, are you sure you're the real Emma? Because there is no way the real Emma would trust me so easily,'' Springtrap asked, with Emma glaring at him.

''You know, maybe I could put that flamethrower I have to good use now…'' Emma started, with Springtrap giving her a dubious look.

''You're lying.''

''Am I? You find all kinds of stuff at yard sales.'' Emma shrugged, walking upstairs, adding in a sing-song voice, ''Good night~!''

Springtrap couldn't help but feel a sudden chill.

xXx

''Why is that area sectioned off?'' Glamrock Freddy asked, walking up to Glamrock Bonnie. It was early in the morning and they still had some time before the Pizzaplex opened for business, so the Glamrocks ended up roaming around along and observe the human employees.

''A technician told me that they wanted to add more attractions, like an AR Dome, a VR attraction and an Urban Legends Role Play Auditorium,'' Bonnie explained.

''What are you two talking about?'' Glamrock Chica and Roxanne Wolf suddenly approached the two, curious about the commotion.

''It seems like we'll be getting new attractions,'' Bonnie told them.

''Already? But the Pizzaplex had only been open for a couple of days,'' Chica pointed out.

''That means that the Pizzaplex is successful if they want to expand, right?'' Freddy asked.

''Correction. We are successful,'' Roxy said, pointing at herself before folding her arms across her chest. ''The main reason why people come to this place is because they want to see us. As long as this new attraction doesn't overshadow me, I don't care what they're doing.''

''Somebody should also tell Monty, DJ Music Man and the Daycare Attendant about this,'' Freddy said, with the other three giving him dubious looks.

''I'll volunteer for Monty,'' Bonnie said, raising his hand, with Chica and Roxy exchanging glances and Roxy slowly raising her hand.

''I volunteer Freddy to tell the Daycare Attendant,'' Roxy said, much to Freddy's disbelief and everyone else's approval.

''Wait, why did you volunteer me?'' Freddy asked.

''Because I am busy and you were the one who suggested that we tell it,'' Roxy replied, flipping her hair. A sense of tension hung in the air as the rest of the conversation was left unspoken, specifically that none of the Glamrock Animatronics were fond of the Daycare Attendant, considering him creepy, if not even unhinged. They all stayed away from the daycare area whenever they could.

While Freddy did agree with Roxy's sentiment about taking responsibility, he still didn't like the idea of having to visit the Daycare Attendant, even wondering if he could ask the employees whether they could tell it about the new additions. In the end, all he could do is sigh in resignation and walk off to the Superstar Daycare, hoping that the Attendant won't act… weird.

The walk to that area was shorter than he hoped it would be, even after dragging his feet and walking as slowly as possible. Freddy always held the belief that, as the main mascot of the Mega Pizzaplex and leader of the Glamrock Animatronics, he should befriend his fellow animatronics and treat them with kindness. He had success with most of them, even the more isolated Monty, but he simply couldn't extend the same courtesy to the Daycare Attendant. He even tried to call him by his name rather than his title and tried to see as a person rather than just a robot, but he couldn't deny anymore that there was something unsettling about that animatronic. It also didn't help that yesterday, he heard that there was an incident at the daycare where a toddler was found crying in the corner and screaming in fear whenever the Daycare Attendant tried to get close to him. Nobody knew what happened and the Daycare Attendant told the parents that they were just playing when the lights suddenly went out. As for what happened in-between the lights going out and turning on, nobody knew, and Freddy doubted anyone wanted to know.

Despite just being an animatronic with an extremely advanced AI, Freddy couldn't help but note how the emotions he felt were similar to that of a human with a severe case of anxiety as she stood in front of the daycare. He tried to calm down, taking note of how it was open and ready to accept all the small children and toddlers who needed proper supervision that couldn't be provided by their parents or caretakers. He steeled his resolve, entering the daycare area and immediately spotted the Daycare Attendant giving instructions to another robot that was assigned to this area.

That robot in question was the Helpful Automated Pipe Protection Server, also known as Happs, an animatronic built for janitorial and maintenance duties of the tube maze at the far side of the playground which, going by the sign, was supposed to be expanded soon, possibly extend to areas outside the daycare. Freddy rubbed his head, his circuits and wires already feeling overwhelmed by the sheer scale of Fazbear Entertainment's future plans for the Pizzaplex.

''Hello, you two!''

The Daycare Attendant, now in the form of Sun, and Happs, turned to Glamrock Freddy curiously, clearly not expecting his presence at the daycare.

''Hello, Freddy! What are you doing here?'' Sun asked.

''I wanted to inform you about Fazbear Entertainment adding new attractions to the Pizzaplex, but it seems that you are already aware of it,'' Freddy said, pointing at the sign on the tube maze.

''Right, right! But this only means there will be more children who will come to play with me. My excitement can be barely contained!'' Sun replied happily, only to take note of Freddy's uncomfortable look. His cheerful demeanor immediately changed as he asked flatly, ''What?''

''Oh, it is nothing. I am glad that you have no issues with the upcoming changes,'' Freddy replied, trying not to show how nervous he was. ''I should go check on the others now. The Pizzaplex will open soon.''

Sun stared at Glamrock Freddy as he left quickly, then glanced at Happs. ''If I had a nickel every time I got those weird looks from people, I'd have two nickles, which isn't a lot, but tells me that it will happen more often in the future.''

Happs just stared at Sun, not responding. He had no clue what was going on and he didn't care, since he was only here to clean and maintain the area.

xXx

''Monty! Hey, where are you?'' Glamrock Bonnie was walking through the golf course in search for the elusive reptile animatronic, unaware that Monty was hiding in the bushes and ferns with a golf club in his hands and a wide smirk on his snout. If he managed to smash Bonnie into pieces, a new spot in the Glamrock Band would open and he could easily fill it. He just needed the right opportunity, which luckily presented itself. They were both alone here, no employees nor annoying S.T.A.F.F. Bots to keep an eye on them.

Monty observed Bonnie as he walked past his hiding place and slowly approached the bunny animatronic, lifting up the golf club high, his eyes flashing maliciously.

''What are you doing Monty?''

Monty felt as if all of his systems almost crashed down, getting startled by Freddy, who appeared seemingly out of nowhere right behind him. He quickly lowered the golf club before Bonnie could notice him. ''Oh, I was… I was practicing my swingin'. Ya know, to show the kids how a professional golfer hits a hole in one.'' Monty then did a few practice swings as if to demonstrate what he was doing earlier. ''Gotta make sure I don't get rusty.''

Freddy stared at him for a moment, then nodded approvingly. ''That is good. I just wanted to tell you that we will be getting new attractions soon.''

''New attractions?'' Monty lowered the golf club, giving Freddy a look of disbelief. ''Why would they add new attractions? Ain't the ones we have enough?''

Freddy rubbed the back of his head. ''I am not sure. I guess Fazbear Entertainment has deemed the Pizzaplex successful enough to add more attractions.''

''I see… They're gonna give the kids other places they can go to 'n have fun,'' Monty muttered, sounding crestfallen. He lifted his head when Freddy put a hand on his shoulder.

''Do not worry. I am sure that people will see the value of Monty's Gator Golf. You simply do what you always do. You are also a superstar, just like me and the other Glamrocks,'' Freddy assured him. Monty nodded, only for the two to get interrupted by Bonnie. Freddy was happy to see his close friend, while Monty glared at the bunny animatronic, wondering what Bonnie had that made him part of the main band, while he was stuck at this attraction. He gripped the golf club tightly, almost bending it as he watched the two leave, his red eyes glowing in anger and desire to be more than he was now.

Perhaps, one day, he would be the one standing on the main stage.

xXx

Sam took a deep breath, leaning against the rail as she overlooked the Atrium. ''I guess that so far, there is no sign of Glitchtrap… or any murderous activities.''

''If I were you, I'd be more worried whether someone from your school will see you. You are supposed to be at home resting,'' Springtrap, who was standing next to her, said. Sam shot him a glare.

''You're sounding like Mum,'' she grumbled.

''If I'm sounding like Emma, I suppose that means that I'm one step closer to actually sounding like a caring parent,'' Springtrap replied in a snarky tone. Sam just rolled her eyes.

''I guess I could go to Monty's Gator Golf, since there don't seem to be that many people. I did promise Monty a match,'' Sam said. ''Do you want to come along or explore the place on your own?''

''Do you want me to accompany you?'' Springtrap asked. Sam paused for a moment.

''I think I'll be fine on my own. Besides, this is a place where I won't be feeling any negative emotions for Glitchtrap to exploit,'' Sam replied. Springtrap nodded, observing her leave for Monty's Gator Golf. Once she was gone, he went down to the Atrium and continued to walk towards the more secluded areas, parts of the building he knew were not accessible to regular visitors. He knew that if he wanted to learn more about Fazbear Entertainment's plans for this place, he would have to go to the employee-only areas. Even then, it would be difficult to be granted any access, as he figured that he needed to have a special pass, which he doubted they would give to an animatronic.

Fortunately, he was not just any animatronic, but the co-founder of this franchise and knew the inner workings of Fazbear Entertainment better than anyone else. They didn't care too much about their security and would cover up any incidents, whether they were accidental or deliberate. This meant that this place was perfect for a supernatural sentient AI to infiltrate it without anyone noticing.

Well, maybe it is not as easy as I thought. Springtrap's eyes narrowed as he spotted a couple of S.T.A.F.F. Bots patrolling the hallway leading to the employee-only area. The actually reacted to his presence, blocking his path and not allowing him to go further. Frankly, he could just easily take care of them, but something else caught his attention. He spotted a figure further away dashing into another hallway. Ignoring the S.TA.F.F. Bots telling him to turn around, he quickly followed the figure, trying to track it down. He could sense that something about that figure was familiar, but he needed to make sure it wasn't a hallucination.

He turned a corner, only stop and stare at the small figure who was pouting as she observed a vending machine, clearly irritated that she couldn't get anything to drink or the snack she wanted. She then turned around when she sensed Springtrap's presence, her jaw dropping slightly in surprise, her eyes wide as she met the animatronic's gaze.

''Daddy?''

''Elizabeth? What are you doing here?'' Springtrap was stunned to see his daughter, who quickly ran up to him.

''What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Hell?'' Elizabeth asked in return. Springtrap winced when his daughter gave him a suspicious stare.

''It's… complicated, but I do have a good reason of coming back this time,'' he told her. ''Where are Michael and Sammy?''

''They were with me moments ago. I think they got lost,'' Elizabeth replied, only to be met with a dubious look from her father.

''Really? Are you sure you weren't the one who got lost?'' he asked, with Elizabeth giving him a mischievous grin.

''Nope! I knew where I was going, but maybe we should go find Mike and Sammy. I'm sure they'd want to see you too,'' Elizabeth replied.

''That's a good idea,'' Springtrap replied, walking ahead, with Elizabeth following him. He had to admit that learning about his children have also returned to the realm of the living was quite a surprise, but it was a pleasant surprise. Going by Elizabeth's reaction, they didn't know that he was here too, meaning that they have returned for a different reason.

The two eventually found their way back to the Atrium, looking around for Michael and Sammy. It took them a while, but Springtrap, being a spirit himself, could sense their presence once he focused on them and eventually found them upstairs, with the two brothers looking quite concerned over losing their sister.

''Mike, look!'' Sammy suddenly jabbed Michael's arm, pointing at the two figures approaching them. Michael was relieved to see his sister, only for a look of disbelief to appear on his expression, him and Sammy exchanging glances when they realized who was accompanying her.

''Father?!''

''Dad, what are you doing here?''

The Afton brothers was completely baffled by this sudden family reunion, with Springtrap replying, ''I could ask you two the same question.''

''I think it is more concerning that you are here,'' Michael replied in a snarky tone.

''It is, but not for the reasons you think,'' Springtrap said, beckoning the three to follow him. ''Let's go find a more secluded place to talk before people start wondering why I'm talking to no one.''

''The one advantage of being a ghost is that you can make people believe they're going crazy,'' Elizabeth said with a smirk as they followed Springtrap towards another part of the upper floor, one that had not many people. They eventually ended up at El Chip's restaurant, which didn't seem to be as much of a hot spot as the pizza place. They sat at a table that was the furthest away from any other visitors.

''How come you three are here?'' Springtrap asked. ''Going by your reaction, none of you knew that I came back.''

''It is hard to explain, but we just had this strange sensation that we should be here,'' Michael replied.

''We also saw a figure of… I think it was a bunny? But, it looked really weird, as if it couldn't take a form,'' Sammy added.

''We decided that we should follow both the sensation and the bunny, and we ended up here,'' Elizabeth added. ''Mike and Sammy then got lost.''

''You were the one who ran off!'' Sammy protested, but Elizabeth just stuck out her tongue in defiance.

''So, to recap, you came here because not only did you sense that you needed to be here, but also because you saw a weird bunny figure?'' Springtrap said, with all three nodding.

''What about you?'' Michael asked. ''Weren't you supposed to be stuck in Hell for good?''

''I was, until I realized that I have the ability to return whenever I want,'' Springtrap explained. ''As long as I am tethered to this realm, I will always come back. Unfortunately, I am not here just for a visit.''

''What did you do this time?'' Michael asked, furrowing a brow. Springtrap looked a little irked that his eldest son immediately suspected him of doing something bad, even though he knew there was a good reason for that.

''I haven't done anything… yet. The issue here was that my stay in that Hell and the torture I had undergone through has fractured my soul. That resulted in an entity separate from myself called Glitchtrap appearing. This entity now wants to continue the legacy I have abandoned,'' Springtrap explained.

''That's not good,'' Sammy said, looking troubled by the news. ''Wait, does this mean we also might've seen Glitchtrap?''

''That may be the case, but for what reason, I can't tell,'' Springtrap replied. ''Rest assured, I don't want either of you three to put yourself into danger. You know what I'm capable of, so assume that Glitchtrap is capable of the same thing, if not even worse.'' He was met by a stunned stare coming from all three of them. ''What's the matter?''

''It is still a little surprising to hear you care about us. We're not used to that,'' Michael replied, with Sammy and Elizabeth nodding in agreement.

''That's fair…'' Springtrap muttered.

''What about Sam? Does she know?'' Elizabeth asked.

''She does. In fact, she had been targeted by Glitchtrap,'' Springtrap explained.

''She must've been really happy to see you,'' Elizabeth said without a shred of irony.

''Actually, she was quite furious to see me, to the point that she refused to talk to me,'' Springtrap told her with a look of guilt.

''That's a more appropriate reaction,'' Michael said with a chuckle. ''Is she here?''

''Yes. She said she'd be at Monty's Gator Golf. She has also become an employee at the Pizzaplex,'' Springtrap added. ''She also knows everything about what's going on and she is determined to deal with Glitchtrap just as much as I am.''

''Then let's pay her a visit!'' Elizabeth exclaimed.

xXx

''Woah, nice shot, Monty,'' Sam praised the alligator as he managed to get ahead of her by two points. ''I guess I lost.''

''That's what happens when you face the golf master,'' Monty said proudly, with Sam giving him the golf club back. His expression turned to disappointment. ''What? You're already leaving ol' Monty?''

''I'm sorry, but I still have some work to do. I just needed some quiet time to calm my nerves,'' Sam replied.

''I guess the other Glamrocks take priority over me, don't they?'' Monty muttered. Sam felt bad for him.

''You really want to become a member of the Glamrock Band, don't you?'' she said.

''I do, but there's nothin' that can be done. Fazbear Entertainment only wants four band members, not five,'' Monty replied.

''Maybe they will change their mind in time,'' Sam said.

''I doubt it.'' Monty shook his head. Sam then turned her attention to the figure approaching them, with Monty taking note of her look of surprise. He followed her gaze, spotting Springtrap beckoning her to join him.

''I have to go now. See you later.'' Sam waved at him, leaving the golf course. Unlike Monty, she saw three more people standing beside Springtrap.

''Mike, Sammy, Elizabeth, what are you doing here?'' she asked, stunned to see the Afton siblings.

''It's a long story,'' Michael replied as they continued their walk. With Sam accompanying Springtrap, their conversation wouldn't draw any weird looks. ''How are you doing?''

''I'm doing better now than I did before,'' Sam replied, happy to see them.

''I guess we should've checked on you,'' Sammy said, him and his siblings feeling a little guilty that they too just abandoned her without telling her anything.

''It's fine. You guys deserved some peace after everything that happened. As for me, I suppose I can't help it but always come back to Freddy's to solve any new mysteries,'' Sam replied.

''I guess that since we're here, we can help you. It's not like we have anything better to do,'' Elizabeth said.

''Thanks.'' Sam smiled. The joy didn't last too long, because they eventually came across an employee carrying a first aid kit while running past them. ''Did something happen?''

''Only one way to find out,'' Springtrap said. The group followed the employee to the back of the building, eventually hearing a man whine and gasp and curse, with red droplets covering the ground and leading up to another employee sitting on the ground while clutching his stomach. Further away from him was a S.T.A.F.F. Bot holding a bloody knife. Sam, Springtrap, Michael, Sammy and Elizabeth hid around the corner, watching the man with the first aid kit tending to the other man's wound.

''Damn those robots! This one just snuck up on me- aghhhh!'' The man hissed in pain.

''Keep your voice down!'' the other man replied, sounding more irritated than worried. ''Fazbear Entertainment doesn't pay you to writhe on the ground.''

''That thing stabbed me!''

''Yeah, so what? You probably provoked it.''

''No, I didn't!''

''Then it's malfunctioning!''

''I don't care, I'm bleeding out there!''

''You did sign a waiver that Fazbear Entertainment isn't responsible for any work-related injuries.''

''Oh, screw you and that waiver!''

Sam and Springtrap exchanged glances, with Sam gesturing for them to leave. Once they were away from the two employees, Michael said in a rather sarcastic tone, ''I'm glad to see that Fazbear Entertainment hasn't changed their approach to how they handle their employees.''

''I'm more curious about that robot. Was it really malfunctioning or was it intentionally programmed to attack?'' Sammy said.

''I don't know, but I hope that it was just an accident, because I don't like the alternative,'' Sam said.

''I guess this means there is going to be a lot more accidents,'' Elizabeth said, glancing at her father.

''You're right. This is just the beginning,'' Springtrap said.

xXx

Vanessa took a deep breath, rubbing her eyes as she felt the fatigue. She stared at the monitor, scrolling down a set of security documents. Thanks to her… partner and his influence, she was allowed access to many things she didn't even know about, including Fazbear Entertainment's future projects. Her partner wanted her to grant him full control over all of those projects, planning on infecting them and corrupting them completely. He claimed that the entire Pizzaplex belonged solely to him and that it was his right to have control over all of the creations.

Vanessa could do nothing else but follow his orders. After all, she too belonged to him now, being nothing more but a tool in his hands. These nightmares would never stop, no matter what she did. He didn't care about her suffering, and she shouldn't care about the people she would make suffer.

Right, all she needed to do was to give into that control. Even if she talked to a therapist about what was really troubling her, it would not matter. No one would believe her.

Well, she could still talk to Luis. Sure, she was initially irritated because he would constantly question her about 'Brad', the alias that was given to her partner, but she guessed that he was a nice guy. He never told the higher ups about her strange behavior and even allowed her access to the IT department, allowing her to hack the system. He was certainly useful.

I haven't heard anything from Luis in a while.

Vanessa shook her head, her eyes narrowing. No, right now she didn't have time for any conversations with him. She had to screen through the e-mails and documents, eventually finding one about a box of costumes being shipped to the Pizzaplex. She read the list, realizing that this box contained very old animatronic costumes, some going as far as 1979.

''Why would they need animatronic costumes that are so old?'' Vanessa muttered under her breath, only to hear an eerie voice talk in her head.

''Because, they don't make these kinds of animatronic suits anymore. At least not the ones that can be worn by both animatronics and humans.''

''What?'' Vanessa groaned, her head aching as she rubbed her temple. ''Is there any value to them?''

''Indeed. I was one of their creators.''

Vanessa sighed, closing the e-mail and checking another one. It was a complaint to the upper management of Fazbear Entertainment about a staff member getting attacked by a S.T.A.F.F. Bot. Even though she held some responsibility for suggesting that the S.T.A.F.F. Bots take on more work so Fazbear Entertainment wouldn't have to pay for the employees, this didn't concern her. If the staff members couldn't deal with the robots, that wasn't her fault.

Vanessa leaned back in her swivel chair, sighing once more. There was so much work to do and the week hasn't begun yet. Not to mention, she still had to keep an eye on Samantha Blackburn, as per her partner's instructions. Although, it seemed that he was doing a good job himself. She still had no answer in regards to his obsession with her, and frankly, she doubted she ever wanted to know.

Links:

#Previous Chapter

#Next Chapter

[tenebraevesper]

Considering how Henry and William went from owning a small family diner to a whole pizzeria franchise and robotics company, hiring a third party was necessary for them to keep things runnning.

I'm gonna post this twitter thread in the main tags because I think it explains everything of concern with the new game pretty thoroughly! I see a lot of people freaking out (I also did at first because of what I heard)

old information we have about Henry and William and the animatronics is basically untouched, they still made most everything, the new game just adds extra context and information to what was going on back when fazbear entertainment was getting off the ground. it makes sense for henry & william to not have made literally every single animatronic since fazbear ent. is a big chain of locations, but that doesn't mean they weren't responsible for plenty of stuff on their own still

[tenebraevesper]

I made the same point in my own post (Secret of the Mimic and The Story of Henry, William and Edwin). It makes zero sense that Henry and William wouldn't be the ones creating the FNaF gang and the springlock suits.

Disproving a common misunderstanding when it comes to the info provided in the logs/recordings in SOTM (spoilers, obviously)

A lot of people have been getting a pretty major detail wrong and it's been driving me absolutely crazy. I'm sure it will get sorted out once big theorists begin posting their theory, summary, and analysis videos but I've been genuinely losing my mind while scrolling through freddit so I felt the need to make this post.

Henry and William DID NOT work for Edwin OR steal his designs! A different company called Stan's Budget Tech did. In Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria Simulator, a company by that name sells the Mediocre Melodies. The mediocre melodiesn cast includes: a purple hippo, a green frog with a yellow bobble on it's head, an orange elephant. These are the EXACT designs we see throughout Murray's costume manner, which means they were most likely stolen.

The log that proves this is actually the same log that caused the misunderstanding in the first place:

Log: Me and Stan are out of here. It's time to jump ship before things get ugly. I have a bunch of Fiona's character patterns and Stan is taking what he can. Join us. With everything we know about the restaurant project, we can start our own machine shop.

A lot of people believed that this was William sending a message to Henry. However, the details directly contradict. "With everything we know about the restaurant project, we can start our own machine shop." The restaurant project is obviously Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. We know for a fact that MCM was commissioned to work on the designs and prototypes of the main 4 animatronics thanks to both the ending and multiple logs. It doesn't make since for this message to be coming from William to Henry since we know that the restaurant project Stan's friend was talking about is about the restaurant that Fazbear Ent is creating.

There is even more proof in the tapes and other logs that prove that William and Henry were NOT former employees OR the ones to steal Edwin's designs.

Tape: Edwin, never forget, they're behind it. Don't trust them. Never tell them. They want to destroy you. Dad was right. -Edwin

In this tape, Edwin is most likely referring to his employees being stolen by Fazbear, or specifically Willam. In a different tape we learn that Edwin's father previously owned MCM and passed it on to Edwin after his death. Since Edwin's dad told him not to trust Fazbear/William/Henry, then Fazbear Entertainment in some capacity had to exist before Edwin got control of the company. Which means they couldn't have been employed at the MCM during Edwin's time.

There's also the proof that Fazbear was commissioning designs, not stealing them.

Logs: Chica's Party World - Dear Mr. Murray, Fiona is amazing. The client is very happy with her chicken designs. Their sales are through the roof. I just wish the costume looked a little bit more like Fiona's art...I'm worried about how it will work with kids. It gives me nightmares. -Milton

Logs: Fiona, the new springlocks are working well, even with the water damage. They should be ready for the diner soon. I'll just make sure to warn Hen about some of the more...odd behaviors they might have. -Edwin

Tape: Test, test. I got the change order from Hen last night. None of this makes sense. I'm almost done. Why change it now? It would be so much easier to keep using the Springlocks. Just hire some teens to wear the suits like we always do. -Edwin

These all prove that Fazbear was paying for the designs of the original 4 animatronics, not stealing them. There's another tape in the ending part of the game where Edwin refuses to change the designs of the original 4s prototypes because Fiona designed them for them.

There's another misconception that Edwin made the original 4 animatronics that we later see in fnaf 1 and 2. This is incorrect since, as stated before, Edwin refused to transiton them from springlocks to regular animatronics. MCM also most likely burns in the end which means Fazbear never got the prototypes. So, the only way the unwithereds and fnaf 1 animatronics could exist is if Henry and/or William made them themselves.

Also, the reason the prototypes resemble Fnaf 1 originals and not the Fnaf 2 originals is likely because after the closing of Fnaf 2, Fazbear returned to Fiona's origianl designs.

[tenebraevesper]

Secret of the Mimic and The Story of Henry, William and Edwin

After having finished watching Dawko's playthrough of Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic, my first impression was that the game is awesome - basically what Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach was supposed to be - but there is also a huge issue with it, that being the lore.

There is a lot that I can talk about, like the fact that at the beginning of the game, it is made clear that SotM partially retcons Five Nights at Freddy's: Tales from the Pizzaplex, specifically The Storyteller from #5: The Bobbiedots Conclusion and The Mimic from #6: Nexie. I did some research, and while the initial impression was that it is canon to the main games, there was no direct confirmation coming from Scott Cawthon that they are canon. Still, the books confirm and/or explain the lore presented in the games, specifically Security Breach, meaning that, at best, TftPP is loosely tied to the games, albeit more actively than The Silver Eyes trilogy or Fazbear Frights.

That said, while I was dumbfounded by that retcon, I'm fine with it. They took a part of the story and made something grand out of it, not unlike Five Nights at Freddy's: Into The Pit.

No, what I actually want to focus on is the supposed implication of SotM seemingly ''retconning'' some long-established lore. I am here to offer my personal thoughts on the topic and how I interpret what we see in the game, so don't take anything I say for set in stone. I can still change my mind.

The lore I am talking about appears around the second half to the very end of the game, where we follow Arnold not only discovering the springlock suits but also what appear to be the prototypes of not only the Classic Animatronics from Five Nights at Freddy's, but also Fredbear and Spring Bonnie. We also discover several e-mails which establish that Edwin Murray knew Henry Emily and William Afton, and was even friends with the former (going by the fact that he calls Henry ''Hen'').

I have actually speculated in a conversation with a friend that Edwin might've known or was at least familiar with the co-founders of Fredbear's Family Diner and Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria since in TftPP, it was established that he was working for Fazbear Entertainment, and I am happy to get a confirmation.

But what baffled me, and probably many other people, is the implication that Henry and William didn't build Fredbear and Spring Bonnie nor the springlock suits (or any of the other characters we have known since the first game), and that Edwin was the one responsible for them. I suppose it could be described as a knee-jerk reaction because we still need to properly interpret this information in context of the story of the game, and while understandable, it doesn't feel less jarring.

As a matter of fact, after thinking about it, I have come to a understanding that there was no retcon in regards to Fredbear & Spring Bonnie and the springlock suits because of one simple point - the fact that Edwin was contracted by Fazbear Entertainment to work on their projects.

We know that Henry and William were brilliant engineers (it is confirmed directly that Henry built Lefty while William built the Funtime Animatronics and had his own robotics company) and every story about their past reinforces that they were the ones who built Fredbear's and Freddy's from ground up, came up with the Fredbear and Spring Bonnie animatronic and were directly involved in the creation of the springlock suits. Five Nights at Freddy's: The Silver Eyes, while not canon to the main games but still gives us context for the story behind the first three games, drives the idea that it was always these two were responsible for the creation of the animatronics we know and love (or hate) and I sincerely doubt Scott Cawthon would tell Steel Wool Studios to retcon that. Even if he left it to them to develop a new game, that doesn't mean that he still isn't involved or has the final say in what is added to the game.

So, what is the deal with Edwin?

My personal interpretation is that, while Henry and William were the ones who created the Fredbear and Spring Bonnie we know and that they were also behind the springlock suits, they did also collaborate with Edwin, either directly (which I believe to be the case with Henry) or as a representative of Fazbear Entertaiment using their shady business practices (which would obviously be William). The fact that Edwin seemed to be close to Henry and was under contract with Fazbear Entertainment makes it possible that ideas were exchanged (or stolen, as Edwin puts it). We know that the Spring Bonnie suit William used was extremely unsafe, while Edwin's springlock suits seemed to be water-resistant, which leads me to the belief that while Henry and William came up with the springlock suits and built their own variants, they and/or Fazbear Entertainment possibly comissioned Edwin to perfect them and/or mass produce them. Same goes for the Classic Animatronics.

I am sure I am missing a lot of details, since this is information I got from watching Dawko's playthrough and that more information will eventually surface, so feel free to correct me. Nevertheless, it would be baffling to remove Henry and William's involvement in the creation of the animatronics/springlock suits since that is something fundamental to the story of FNaF.

If you guys want me to talk about my interpretation of the other lore pieces from SotM, just send me an ask about which topic you want me to cover next.

[tenebraevesper]

SEGA just keeps giving people reasons to make Sonadow content and I am all for it.

Remember that chart I made last year? Here's the uploaded version lol

Lemme know when we get the 3d renders of the cowboys

[tenebraevesper]

Unlike in the game Sam is the one to name Glitchtrap. What does he think of the name and how does he feel that Sam is the one to name him? (If he does voice his opinion in the story. I forgot) 😅

Considering how Glitchtrap is obsessed over Sam - partially thanks to Springtrap's influence, partially due to his own interactions with her - he is quite pleased to hear that she named him.

After all, being named by her means to him that they'll have a closer relationship/connection.

[tenebraevesper]

What are thoughts on Springtrap finally being added to Dead by Daylight?

I'm so excited!

Both Five Nights at Freddy's and Dead by Daylight fans have been talking for ages that Springtrap would be an excellent choice for a Killer to add to Dead by Daylight, and I have watched fan concepts on YouTube about Springtrap being a Killer. This is definitely a dream come true and after watching the PTB (I don't play DbD, but I love watching streamers playing it), I can say that Springtrap looks like a really fun Killer to play as and/or against.

The fact that they didn't only add the Yellow Rabbit/Spring Bonnie as another skin, but also had them voiced by PJ Heywood and Matthew Lillard shows they put a lot of work and effort into The Animatronic. And that's not even mentioning the Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria map, the Glitchtrap, Clown Springtrap and Toxic Springtrap skins.

[tenebraevesper]

Hello. I know you wrote these posts like ages ago but I wanted to know if you were going to do a follow up analysis for Bass.EXE? (specifically his manga incarnation since you already covered the game and anime versions) especially since Takamisaki’s “Forte: Time if Reunion” oneshot has final been translated and is available on Mangadex. Really nice story that essentially wraps up his arc in a way.

No rush. I was curious since I loved your analysis of his other incarnations.

Honestly, I don't know.

I do plan on eventually make a follow-up post, but I don't really have the time nor mindset to focus on my Bass.EXE Analysis, even though I would love to do that as soon as possible.

I suppose it also doesn't help that there is a LOT to cover in the Ryo Takamisaki manga, meaning that I would need some time to gather information for the post.

I suppose I will cover it at one point, but it's hard to say when.

Hope this answers your question and thank you for the ask and your patience. X3

[tenebraevesper]

What do you think of people who actually like Miraclous for its bad writing?

Honestly, I had the impression that people hated the show, but still watched it because of something called ''sunk cost fallacy'', where they had invested so much time and energy into it that they felt that they have no other choice to continue watching the show in hopes that it would somehow improve.

But if there are people who watch it for its bad writing, good for them, because I don't have the patience for that - at least, not anymore. Admittedly, I do check it from time to time just to see how bad it has gotten. Not to mention, the bad writing is a goldmine for fanfic writers who want to give the fans want they wanted by taking the show's themes and creating genuinely great stories.

Either that, or people are watching it so they can just make fun of the show and/or salt it.

In any case, if you have the mindset to watch it without going insane, kudos to you.

[tenebraevesper]

Thoughts on MLB season 1 and 2?

I'd argue that MLB S1 and S2 were better than the later seasons, and I used to enjoy watching them.

However, looking back on them, there were some early signs of what was in store for the future for both the characters and plot. You would watch those episodes and believe that next season, the characters would learn from their actions and mature (e.g. Adrien's tantrum in Syren) and develop or that the plot itself would become grander, only to be slapped across the face when you find out that the story was becoming worse and worse.

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic Cyber Revolution, Entry 86: Cyber Game

''Follow me- I'm standing on the border of everything. Listen close- Can you hear the spirits sing lost messages of long ago?''

– I'm Here by Sonic Frontiers

xXxXxXx

''Finally, she has been completed,'' Dr. Eggman said, quite content with the results. He stretched his arms, having been spending the past couple of days working on a program that would aid him in dealing with the Cyberspace Fields more efficiently, in the sense that he would have access to them just like he had access to the AR Fields. He then turned around, noticing Ferra, Metal Sonic, Orbot and Cubot peeking into the room, having been curious about what he was working on. They respectfully left him alone to work in peace, but they didn't seem to care that much about their own work, focusing on his. To be fair, he didn't tell them what he was working on either, although Ferra seemed to have an idea.

Eggman beckoned the four to enter the room, with Cubot and Orbot looking both curious and puzzled, Metal Sonic having an unreadable expression while Ferra was excited, asking, ''So, we get to finally meet her?''

''Give it a moment,'' Eggman told her, pressing a few buttons on the computer, the screen above displaying various data constructs. Finally, black, blue and red bits of data started swirling around in the middle of the room, with a slender frame forming in the middle, the data particles converging inside it, eventually revealing a small being.

This being resembled a young human girl. She possessed a slim body and limbs with white skin and a large, round head with a tall forehead. She possessed glowing red eyes and a red energy structure on the left side of her face. She also had short white hair with a swirl in it on her forehead and a single red energy highlight inside said swirl. The rest of her body however, especially her arms and legs, were completely black and seemed to have outlines of red computer code around them. For attire, she wore a black cloak-like dress and black Mary Jane shoes.

''My name is Sage. I am an artificial intelligence program created by Dr. Eggman for the purpose of assisting in the exploration of Cyberspace Fields,'' Sage introduced herself, her tone calm and a little indifferent. It was a stark contrast in comparison to Ferra's excitement, who couldn't wait to meet her.

''I am Ferra Ahearn! Welcome to the Eggman Empire, Sage!'' Ferra greeted her cheerfully, a wide smile on her lips.

''Ferra Ahearn,'' Sage repeated, turning towards the teenager. ''According to the data in my internal memory, you are an Enforcer of the Eggman Empire, alongside your partner, Metal Sonic.''

''Y-Yeah…'' Ferra waited for a moment, wondering whether Sage would say more, but she didn't. Instead, she turned towards Eggman.

''I shall carry on with my task and scan Neos City for Cyberspace Fields. I will return once the scanning process is done,'' Sage said, suddenly vanishing as the data particles dispersed. Eggman then turned to Ferra, meeting her gaze. It seemed as if she looked slightly… crestfallen.

''I… I forgot that Sage was like this…'' she muttered.

''You've been hoping for another conversation partner aside from Metal Sonic, Orbot and Cubot,'' Eggman stated, well aware of her intentions.

''Right.''

Ferra had to admit that Sage being a program who only followed the most logic outcome and showing little to no emotion towards others if it went beyond her programming was a little disappointing, even if it made sense. She glanced at Metal Sonic, who understood what she was thinking about. He too had been following a more logic-based programming, but spending more time with Ferra did allow him to experience a wider range of emotions and he was quite thankful for it.

It seemed that Eggman too understood what they were thinking about, because he stood up, turning towards his Enforcers. ''I want you two to look out for Sage. I can program her with all of the knowledge that exists, but she still lacks certain experiences, especially the ones you have.''

''We'll do our best!'' Ferra replied, her and Metal Sonic quite interested in this mission.

xXx

Sage was floating above Neos City, using the AR Fields generated to move around and analyze her environment. It was quite simple, allowing her to process what was going on in her surroundings, but it would take some time due to the size of Neos City. Nevertheless, it would be worth it, because this way, Sage would not only immediately detect a Cyberspace Field appearing, but also access it no matter where she was. Sage considered it to be very efficient, certain that Eggman would be quite satisfied with her work. She took notice of a blue blur dashing past her, racing through the streets. She knew that this was Sonic the Hedgehog, Eggman's arch-enemy, but she didn't bother interacting with him. Confronting an enemy when she was in the middle of an important task would just be a waste of time.

Once the process has been completed, Sage started to seek out Cyberspace Fields, finding one in her vicinity, and flew up to it. She observed the glowing orb of data, with particles floating around it and held out her hand, attempting to open it up. She could see a thin barrier resembling something akin to a seal, which prevented people from entering it. Fortunately, she was more than capable of deconstructing that seal, taking apart the data. It wasn't easy, as the data would attempt to reconstruct itself, but her processing abilities could outpace the reconstruction. She managed to even catch a glimpse of what was within the Cyberspace Field, managing to finally break the seal.

She felt a strange sense of satisfaction, glad that she succeeded in her task. Unfortunately, it seemed that whatever created the Cyberspace Field was fighting back, because Sage suddenly found herself surrounded by strange glowing red cubes. Those red cubes were made out of data, so she was able to defend herself, but whoever suddenly attacked her was much more powerful, with the cubes surrounding her.

She found herself inside a cage, or perhaps, a bubble of data, feeling a sting of panic at it closed in.

''Tch, do you really think you can take over my territory?''

Sage gasped when she heard this unfamiliar voice, fighting against this cage that surrounded her.

''Sage!''

There was a blast of energy that got fired, hitting the cage and dispersing it. This allowed Sage to break free, with Ferra and Metal Sonic quickly approaching her. They have been following her as per Eggman's orders and the moment they saw her in trouble, they intervened.

''Are you okay?'' Ferra asked, quite concerned over what had happened.

''My data frame is undamaged,'' Sage replied in the same calm and indifferent tone. ''Even if it was damaged, I can be reconstructed as long as the original data is safe.''

''Right, but… Never mind,'' Ferra muttered, reminding herself that Sage would go for the most logical answer rather than an emotional one. ''What happened?''

''I have managed to take down that seal that keeps the Cyberspace Field closed, but an unidentified entity attempted to break down and delete my body,'' Sage replied in the same calm, matter-of-fact tone, which left both Ferra and Metal Sonic a little unsettled.

''We should report that to the Doctor,'' Ferra suggested. ''He wants to investigate the Cyberspace Fields, but even if you cannot access one without getting put into danger, we need a better plan.''

This was something both Metal Sonic and Sage could agree on.

xXx

Sonic grinned as he through Cross Layer Highway, having gone on a run all over to Mikado City at top speed to get lunch at one of their famous street food stalls and returning to Neos City afterwards. He was about to return back home and tell Lucas, Tails and Warren about all the foods he saw and maybe convince them to join him next time when he suddenly spotted Eggman in his EggMobile, flying right over Souto, with Ferra and Metal Sonic following him, along with a person Sonic hadn't seen before. Still, that girl did look somewhat familiar, and having nothing else to do, Sonic decided to follow them. Regardless of what was going on, if Eggman was involved, Sonic was certain that there would be trouble and he was also curious about what was going on.

He did send a quick message to Lucas, including activating the tracker just so the rest of Team Neos knew what was going on in case things escalated and was on his merry way, following them towards a more secluded area and immediately spotting a Cyberspace Field in an abandoned yard. Sonic grinned, having already figured out that Eggman and his team was probably doing the same thing as Team Neos, trying to gain a deeper understanding of Cyberspace Fields and probably even control them.

He observed as the newest member of the Eggman Empire approached the Cyberspace Field, extending her hand and forcefully removing the seal that stopped people from accessing it, only to be surrounded by a bubble of data particles that affected her body. Fortunately for her, Eggman was prepared for this issue, because he had a device that countered what appeared to be a fail-safe system, freeing the girl and allowing them to access the Cyberspace Field fully.

He observed them as they entered the Cyberspace Field and immediately followed them inside.

xXx

''Huh?'' Lucas glanced at the message he had gotten from Sonic. He read it, turning to Warren and Tails. He had been called by the two to the Taylor Workshop to see their newest invention when the message arrived.

''So, Eggman's up to something again and Sonic's following them,'' Tails muttered, then attempted to call Sonic, but the cobalt hedgehog was unreachable. ''He has to be inside the Cyberspace Field.''

''We should go after him. Even if Sonic knows how to handle being within a Cyberspace Field, it would be better to give him back-up,'' Lucas said, only to pause for a moment. ''At least, if we manage to find our way into that specific Cyberspace Field.''

''Unfortunately, I don't know whether we'll be able to get into the specific Cyberspace Field, but if we do enter one, this should help us detect the source of those fields,'' Warren said, holding up what appeared to be a blue crystal-like object, with Lucas giving it a puzzled look.

''This was what you were working on, right?'' he asked.

''Exactly. Warren and I have been experimenting with our Chaos Surge power to create this device to distort a Cyberspace Field directly upon entering it. Once activated, it should give us a brief window where we would be able to all currently active Cyberspace Fields and choose the one we want to enter,'' Tails explained. ''We've been hoping to find the source, but even being able to choose which Cyberspace Field we enter would help us a lot.''

''Alright, let's go then,'' Lucas said.

xXx

Sonic was amazed when he saw what the Cyberspace Field this time was. He found himself standing on a vast grassy field with random structures appearing in the distance. Unlike Green Hill Zone, this Cyberspace Field wasn't merged with Neos City. Sonic then looked around, trying to figure out where Eggman and his group were, soon realizing that he was somehow separated from them. He tapped with his foot on the ground, aware he had two options now – either try to find them or explore and try to secure an exit first. Being the daredevil he was, he figured he might as well go after Eggman, so he started running, albeit at a lesser speed than usual. He still wasn't familiar with this area, so he wanted to take in the environment and learn more about his surroundings before he took off at full speed. Not only that, but he also tried to understand why this environment felt so familiar.

Unknown to Sonic, he was being observed by someone, completely unaware of their intentions.

xXx

''Okay, let's try this out,'' Tails said as he, Warren and Lucas managed to find an active Cyberspace Field. As expected, they couldn't enter it, but shoving the device he and Warren created distorted the cloud of data. It then showed them several screens of various locations. They knew that they didn't have too much time, so they quickly scanned the screens, with Lucas suddenly pointing at one.

''Over there! I just saw him,'' he said, with Tails quickly tapping on the screen. The distorted data returned to normal, with a bright red light engulfing them.

Once the light faded, they found themselves standing on a vast grassy land, exchanging glances of relief. Warren took a deep breath, saying, ''You know, for a moment, I thought this wouldn't work.''

''Why wouldn't it work?'' Lucas rose an eyebrow.

''Well, considering how this was the first time we used this device, it could've gone wrong and we would've been trapped within the portal that leads inside the Cyberspace Field,'' Warren explained. He and Tails gave Lucas a sheepish smile, who just stared back at them in disbelief, his jaw dropped. Well, he had to commend them for their confidence in their inventions.

''Anyways, we should hurry up and find Sonic,'' Lucas said. He and Warren brought their hoverboards along, so they had an easier time to explore this field, with Tails flying after them.

xXx

''I can't believe that out of all places, we ended up here,'' Ferra commented as she and Metal Sonic observed an ancient structure. They were keeping an eye out for any danger while Eggman and Sage were busy locating the origin of this Cyberspace Field in hopes of taking control over it. It seemed that it was working, with Ferra and Metal Sonic seeing waves of red data spreading through the grass like a pulse from where Eggman and Sage were working.

''Do you think they'll be able to find the origins of the Cyberspace Fields?'' Ferra asked Metal Sonic, who gave her a curious look.

''Do you have any doubt?'' he responded.

''No, I don't. But, consider this- when Sage tried to enter the Cyberspace Field, something or someone was stopping her from entering. Whatever or whoever it is, they don't want us here, at least not under our own conditions. That's why I'm a little worried about what might happen if we stay here for too long,'' Ferra explained. Metal Sonic nodded, understanding her worry. He turned towards Eggman and Sage, who have found what seemed to be a rift within the field and making slow progress in taking over the field.

At least that's what was supposed to happen, but instead, the data Sage had managed to extract suddenly started to sway wildly, leaving all four of them alarmed when it went after Eggmand and Sage. ''Watch out!''

A shield of blue data suddenly appeared before Eggman, pushing him back and causing the red data spiral to engulf Sage. Eggman was stunned by what had happened, but before he could do anything, a blue blur flew past him, firing an energy blast at the data that attempted to restrain Sage. The artificial intelligence program could only stare at Metal Sonic, him and Ferra having used Chaos Surge in anticipation of something going wrong.

Sage was aware that she took a calculated risk when she interfaced with the rift and she wanted to make up for her mistake, but Metal Sonic extended his arm to block her. She turned to Eggman for further orders, only to be surprised when he said, ''Leave this to Metal Sonic and Ferra.''

Sage stared at him, uncertain for a moment about the order, but then nodded. If Eggman wanted to prioritize her safety, then so be it. She wasn't created to be a fighter, so it would make sense to leave the fighting to the Enforcers. Speaking of fight, tall robots with a humanoid figure rose from the ground, their bodies being composed of a black metal with red lights, charging at them, only to be met with a powerful energy blast from Ferra and a close combat attack from Metal Sonic.

xXx

Sonic was on top of a hill, taking a deep breath as a gentle breeze swept over. Having explored a bit of this place, he figured out that he was on an island filled with mountains, forests and grasslands, as well as strange constructs that seemed to be some kind of ancient structure. He was trying to get to a tall point of the island to survey the island more easily, leaping into a grind rail and using the momentum and homing attack the ballon-like targets that appeared to get him to higher ground, eventually finding himself on top of an ancient structure.

''Hmm… No sign of Eggman, Metal Sonic or Ferra… Or that other person,'' Sonic muttered, sighing. ''No wonder, this place ich much larger than any of the previous Cyberspace Fields. It could take me ages to find anything.'' Sonic suddenly felt a wave of wind from behind, turning around and seeing a Goal Ring appearing out of nowhere. ''Huh? Well, at least I won't have to search for a Goal Ring. Still, it's weird…''

''Don't you want to leave? There is nothing left for you here.''

Sonic flinched when he suddenly heard a voice in his head, quickly looking around. He felt a chilling sensation, not understanding what this was all about. He recalled how Tails claimed that there was someone controlling the Cyberspace Field, so was it possible that that person was talking to him.

''Hey, who are you?'' Sonic called out, but there was no answer. That didn't stop Sonic from trying again. ''You know, if you don't want to introduce yourself, at least you could tell me why you're doing this. Or, at least give me a hint so I know what is going on.''

At first, there was silence, as if the entity was contemplating whether to answer or not, the voice responded, ''Consider all of this a video game. Anyone who attempts to hack it to find the source code instead of playing it as intended will be punished.''

''So, is that why you were messing with Tails?'' Sonic asked. As expected, there was no answer. He then tried a different approach. ''What game are we playing then?''

''…''

Sonic was suddenly hit with an unnerving feeling that somehow, he was supposed to know the name of this game, even though nothing came to mind. It seemed that his cluelessness even frustrated the entity he was talking to, because he heard it audibly sighing in exasperation.

''Never mind, this is getting boring. The Cyberspace Fields were supposed to be a new location to explore for you, but if you cannot get it right, then I might as well close them… except for the Chao Garden, of course.''

''Uhh, I guess that's nice of you.'' Sonic had absolutely no clue what all of this meant, but if this entity was going to talk to him, he might as well try to interrogate it, since he knew that it was up to him now to get as much information as possible. ''Did you have anything to do with the Black Arms?''

''I did. Consider it a game event.'' For some reason, Sonic could picture a sinister smile on that entity's lips after hearing this. ''There will be another game event in the future, turning everything you know about Irregulars and the cyber reality on its head, and I sincerely hope everyone will participate.''

''Don't worry, I'm looking forward to it,'' Sonic said confidently. Then, the presence he felt left and he was all alone again. Although, that didn't last long, because he spotted three figures in the distance, recognizing them and quickly running towards them.

''Sonic!''

Lucas, Warren and Tails were relieved to see the blue hedgehog, about to question him about what had happened when Sonic spoke up, ''I'm glad to see you guys, but we need to leave now.''

''But, what about Eggman?'' Tails asked, puzzled that Sonic suddenly wanted to leave. Sonic shook his head.

''If he's still here, he won't be able to do much. Instead, I need to share what I just found out,'' Sonic told them. ''Com'n, there was a Goal Ring up there…'' He trailed off when the Goal Ring suddenly appeared right next to them. ''Never mind, then. Let's go!''

The three exchanged glances, not really sure why Sonic wanted to suddenly leave as they thought that this was another mission. Nevertheless, they still followed him outside the Cyberspace Field.

xXx

Metal Sonic charged at the robot, clawing through it. Fortunately, this was the last one, leaving the group safe. Their attention was then suddenly drawn towards a Goal Ring that appeared out of nowhere. He turned toward Eggman, Ferra and Sage, all three of them equally surprised by its sudden appearance.

''Did this appear because we defeated all of the enemies?'' he asked.

''I don't know, but it's possible,'' Ferra said, the two then waiting for Eggman's orders. Eggman, in turn, furrowed a brow, contemplating something. He turned to Sage.

''What is the state of this Cyberspace Field?'' he asked.

''I can sense the data that constructs this field delete itself. Soon, this location will disappear,'' she replied.

''Then, we have no other choice but to leave,'' Eggman said. Without a word, all four of them immediately left through the Goal Ring, emerging right back at the spot where they entered the field. Sage looked quite gloomy, as if she was disappointed with herself.

''I apologize for being unable to break through the Cyberspace Field's security,'' Sage said.

''Never mind that. I may be tenacious, but I can recognize a lost case when I see one. It seems that the Cyberspace Fields will remain outside my control,'' Eggman surprised.

Ferra and Metal Sonic looked genuinely stunned to hear that, with Ferra leaning to Metal Sonic, whispering, ''Woah, character development.''

Metal Sonic let out a noise that the teenager interpreted as a snort of amusement, with her grinning in response. Sage, on the other hand, was a little taken aback that, despite the failed mission, Eggman didn't care that much. Nevertheless, she still had something important to share, ''I did manage uncover something when I was warded off. I would still have to research it since I don't understand it's meaning.''

''What is it?'' Eggman asked.

There was a gleam in Sage's eyes as she replied, ''It was just one word – Saiba.''

xXx

Team Neos was quite baffled when they heard what Sonic had to say. He described his interactions with the entity, leaving his friends with different reactions. Tails had the strongest reaction out of all of them, looking both triumphant and annoyed. Minami was the next one to react, looking as if she already had a good idea what the entity's cryptic responses meant, but remained quiet until Sonic was done with his speech.

''Then, this finally confirms my theory that someone created the Cyberspace Fields and that they aren't a natural phenomena,'' Tails said.

''That, and this entity was messing with you, even if it didn't want to admit it,'' Sonic replied. Tails didn't care. He just felt validated that he was right.

''Right, but you don't know who or what that entity is,'' Minami pointed out.

''It didn't want to tell me,'' Sonic replied, shaking his head. Minami hummed in thought.

''Well, I have an idea what it might be, but at the same time, it makes absolutely no sense for that to be the case,'' she started. ''You said that you all ended up on Kronos Island, and the only entities that come to mind that would be able to pull off something like that would be Sage or The End. But Sage is in the service of Dr. Eggman, so she can't be that entity. As for The End, that eldritch abomination wanted to just destroy everything in existence, not play a game.''

''In other words, we are once again back to square one,'' Lily said, sighing.

''I wouldn't say that. We know now the purpose of the Cyberspace Fields,'' Knuckles pointed out. Lucas glanced at Sonic.

''You said that this entity didn't want to tell you what kind of game it was playing and it expected you to already know what that game is, right?'' he asked. Sonic nodded. ''What if the game it was referring to was Sonic Frontiers?''

''That would make sense, considering how we ended up on Kronos Island and this entity only spoke to Sonic…'' Warren muttered, only for a sudden realization to hit all of them.

''Does this mean that this entity was using us for its own entertainment?!'' Touka voiced everyone's thoughts, sounding irritated by the conclusion.

''Considering how it claimed that the Black Arms Invasion was a game event, that seems to be the case,'' Silver said, glancing at Shadow, who looked furious. As for Eclipse, he was just uncomfortable with this reveal.

''Then, what should we do?'' Makoto asked.

''If the Cyberspace Fields are going to disappear, this means that we don't have to do anything,'' Amy noted.

''We won't be doing anything – until the next 'game event','' Shadow said in a cold tone.

This statement left the group silent. For all their attempts to handle the Cyberspace Fields, this was something beyond them. Sonic turned to Tails, ''I don't think you should mess with those fields, little bro.''

''So much for all the hard work we put in,'' Tails sighed.

''At least it is keeping the Chao Garden accessible,'' Eclipse said, finding the only bright spot in their current predicament. The rest of the group had to admit that he was right. Minami then turned towards Sonic.

''So, you mentioned that Sage is also with Eggman?'' she stated.

''Right. Will that be a problem?'' Sonic asked.

''From what I recall, Sage is probably the only one who has never turned against Dr. Eggman, at least in the lore. Even Metal Sonic had a go at being independent,'' Lucas said. ''So, this might be a problem for us depending on the situation.''

''Theoretically, Sage would have a much easier time manipulating AR Fields, so we would have to be careful,'' Warren said.

''At this point, nothing can be done. But, at least we won't have to worry about the Cyberspace Fields,'' Lucas said. ''What does worry me is that there is another of those 'game events' in the future. I wonder what it might be.''

''I guess there's no way to tell until it happens. The best we can do is be patient and wait to see what  the future has in store for us,'' Makoto said.

xXx

''To think we ended up at a place like this…'' Toshiro muttered, a slight smirk forming on his lips. ''It brings back memories, doesn't it?''

''Tch.'' Mephiles huffed, not at all amused by Toshiro's joke. They were in some kind of building that was all too familiar to Mephiles, even if he had never been here before. What was worse was that he was also holding up an item Mephiles despised, this item being a short scepter with two wings at the top, a blue handle, a magenta jewel, and small spiked crown on the end. It had many silver engravings all over it. On the jewel, there was a shield-like mark colored orange. Even though this was the first time he saw it, Mephiles wanted to destroy that scepter.

Still, he refrained from it, having already found a more interesting object to observe. It was a certain green gem he was holding in his hands, having found it inside this very room.

''The future will be interesting.''

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Chao Tales - EP. 8