Power Down

A/N: Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed my previous work, Sentient Desires. This is hardly an original idea, but I'm obsessed with stories that depict the cause of the damage to the Withered animatronics prior to FNaF 2. This is my take on the event. Please enjoy!

"Freddy?"

There was a soft whirring and click of the animatronic rousing from sleep, the joints in his neck jerking as they stick for a moment before slipping free. His eyes slowly rolled open, baby blue optics drifting across the dreary room before focusing on the large yellow animatronic to his right. The gears in his body whined in protest as he sat up, his ears shifting back and forth as his auditory programming recalibrated.

"Sorry to wake you," the soft voice crackled once more.

"It's okay, Chica," Freddy rasped, "What's up?" He watched as the chicken stood, her jaw hanging grotesquely from the broken hinges of her costume.

She lifted her arms and began to poke her broken stubs together nervously, the fraying wires crackling with near-contact. "I heard something," she muttered sheepishly, "I think they might bring Bonnie back soon. I-I know I shouldn't have woken you up yet, but I thought you'd like to know."

At the mention of their friend's name, Freddy began to push himself to his feet. The servos in his legs whined, his body a veritable orchestra of broken pieces and aging gears all simultaneously wailing in dissent. Chica reached out to him, attempting to assist the tattered bear to his feet, but he waved her off as he straightened.

"What did you hear?" He asked as he stumbled towards the only door present in the room.

Chica timidly followed from behind. "Not much, really. Just that they…well…got what they needed." Her voice had gone soft and drifted off towards the end as she glanced down at her hands -or rather- lack thereof. A low rumble escaped from Freddy that could have been mistaken for a growl. Chica believed that it was. She watched as he placed his paws on the cool metal and leaned against it as if to listen beyond.

"Aye, ye should just go back to yar spot, Fazbear. Creep'n by the door ain't gonna make them bring the lad back any quicker."

Freddy turned to the gravelly electronic voice emanating from the shadow-drenched corners of the room. He scowled at the long snout that was just visible in the veil of darkness cast by the single flickering bulb in the room. "Shut your trap, Foxy."

"Umm, ah, don't start fighting, guys. Please?" Chica begged as she shot the pair of animatronics nervous looks.

Foxy's ragged laughter stuttered as the tall crimson vulpine animatronic slowly pushed himself to his feet. "Or what, Fazbear? Care to go a round with 'ol Foxy?"

Freddy curled his paws into fists and stomped towards the withered animatronic.

Quickly inserting herself into the fray, Chica swung out her arms. "Guys, guys! Stop! You promised you would stop fighting!"

"You should learn to keep your mouth shut," Freddy hissed, nodding at Foxy, his abused voice box shifting in pitch. "The engineers should have knocked your jaw off for that stunt you pulled."

The room grew silent as Chica's arms slowly drifted back to her sides, her shoulders slouching with an electronic hum.

"Aye, ye got a way with words there, Fazbear," Foxy grumbled lowly.

Freddy's eyes darted from the hunched fox to the somber chicken. His brows shifted slightly and he placed a paw on Chica's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Chica. I didn't mean anything by it."

She shook her head in reply, her lower jaw flopping about freely, tied to her upper beak by only a few wires. Behind her teeth, her endoskeleton's metal jaws rose and fell, no longer able to manipulate her orange beak. "No, it's okay. I'm kinda glad Foxy did what he did." She slouched forward a little more. "They deserved it," she whispered.

If he had lungs, Freddy would have sighed. Instead, he would have to do with a small high-pitched keen from his voice box. Emoting was difficult enough when only certain parts of the body could be manipulated. As much as he did not want to agree with Chica, he could not help but feel a small sense of satisfaction and pride (though he would deny it until the end of days) that Foxy had managed to exact a small sort of revenge on the engineers.

The excitement of listening to him regale his tale of how he managed to bite through the mechanic's hand was almost worth the initial panic when Foxy was tossed against the back wall, his costume ripped and shredded. The damage to his legs was extensive.

Of course, his actions had consequences. Infuriated by the accident, the engineers had taken it out on Chica, making sure to disable her jaw so as to avoid being bitten again. Once they had ripped off her hands and taken what parts they needed from her, the men threw her into the Parts and Service room as well. They did not fix her jaw and left it completely useless. Freddy feared that they would do the same to Bonnie.

Freddy had been first, Foxy second, and then Chica. After giving up with the attempting retrofit project, the engineers instead turned to ripping out parts from the animatronics. Freddy didn't know why or what for, all he knew was that it left his friends in a state of disrepair.

And it was painful. The engineers put them in sleep-mode, but could not turn them off completely. This left the animatronics in a state of suspended activity, unable to move their bodies, but capable of thought-processing. It wasn't entirely clear why they could not simply turn them off. The mascot suspected it had something to do with needing an electrical current to manipulate the complex system of pneumatics that moved their endoskeletons. Perhaps (and just as likely) it was because they could not access the dated blueprints that would help navigate them through the fine-tuned removal process. Or, it could have been that they simply didn't care.

Regardless of the reason, the removal of critical parts of their costume and endoskeleton were felt. The logistics of it were lost on Freddy, but what he did understand were the crippling convulsions and seizures that came from wayward electrical surges. Or the deep ache of gears grinding and sticking together. He understood the fiery friction of mechanical parts that had no oil to lubricate them and the blinding agony of frayed wires exposed to the humid and dank air.

What the engineers took from them and what they left behind affected them differently. For the most part, Freddy and Foxy could count their lucky stars. Only miniscule damage had been done to the big brown bear. His retrofit had been far more successful than the others and he suspected this had everything to do with the amount of parts that had not been taken. Not to mention the overall degradation to his costume over the years had been minimal. Being the lead mascot of a diner franchise was worth something, he supposed. The same could not be said for poor Chica or Foxy, though the latter was almost in a constant state of disrepair for as long as Freddy could remember.

He watched as the hand-less animatronic bumbled over to her usual spot before flopping to the floor, leaning back against the wall. She tucked her arms against her belly and closed her lavender eyes.

"I hope Bonnie will be okay," she mumbled.

It was strange to hear the female chicken talk in spite her damaged jaw. Freddy was just relieved that her voice box had not been damaged or tampered with.

The tall fox's head jerked erratically as he tilted it towards the despondent chicken. "The lad will be fine. You'll see."

Freddy wished he could share the same sentiments. Distracted by the gentle whirring of Foxy's ears shifting, wide blue eyes watched as the mechanized fox tilted his head from side to side.

"Wait," Foxy whispered, his degloved ear straightening. "Sink me! Thar be comin'. Back to ye spot, Fazbear."

Freddy scowled at the lumbering fox as he turned and retreated into the shadows. As Freddy lumbered to his resting spot, he could hear the voices of the humans outside. They battled with the door for a moment before pushing it open. Between two of them was Bonnie.

"God, it fucking reeks in here," grumbled one as he pulled the large rabbit into the Parts and Service room. The man was young with shaved sandy hair and cold hard eyes, his left hand wrapped in white gauze. Freddy knew this to be the man that Foxy had bitten.

"Yeah, well, dead bodies tend to smell," his partner countered, dropping Bonnie's legs to the floor. He was a larger man with salt and pepper hair that matched the mottled color of his beard. He was red with exertion, a shimmer of sweat on his brow.

"This thing is damn heavy," hissed the younger as he dropped Bonnie none-too-gently.

"Yeah, these older models were constructed of some heavy-duty shit. The newer ones will be made with a top-grade plastic, or so I hear." The large man put his hands on his hips as he investigated the other animatronics in the room. "I'll be sad to see 'em retired." He strode over to Freddy and grinned at the mascot. "You deserve some rest."

The younger mechanic groaned and rolled his eyes. "Oh, my God, Rich. Just fucking marry it already or something."

"Hey, I visited these guys when I was younger. A young'n like you wouldn't understand," Rich muttered, dusting off the top of Freddy's hat. "It's what got me into robotics in the first place. These guys have been through the wringer."

"Yeah, well, its creepy as fuck in here. Can we go now? That's all we had to do, right? This and pack a few more things?" The blond mechanic grimaced at the damage he had caused Chica. He shivered as he stared at the ruined chicken.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get yer panties in a knot, Tyler," the older man sighed. With one last look at Freddy, he saluted the bear and walked out of the room, Tyler following behind.

Tyler paused momentarily to glance back at the animatronics, raising his middle finger in Foxy's direction before flicking off the light. The sound of their footsteps eventually faded, plunging the group into the suffocating darkness with only the fading hum of the dying light bulb to comfort them.

Curiosity was killing Freddy, but he had to make sure they were absolutely alone before they could move around. He decided to count to sixty before he would check to see that they were alone. He only got to twenty-three when he heard the tell-tale signs of one of the animatronics shuffling around in the room. Irritation instantly flooded his system with images of Foxy abandoning his corner, but when the light flickered back to life, he was surprised to see Chica had been the one to move first. Deciding he would reprimand her later, the bear turned his attention to the rabbit laying in the center of the room.

He almost wished Chica had never turned on the light.

A myriad of strangled noises filled the room, all of them coming from the standing animatronics.

"Oh, my…."

"Bonnie!" Chica warbled as she hurried to his side, dropping to her knees. Her arms hovered awkwardly over the fallen rabbit.

Freddy could practically feel her distress at not being able to touch him.

"Blow me down," Foxy uttered as he crept from the shadows, flipping up his eye-patch to get a better look at the broken animatronic. His ears drooped as he shook his head. "What have they done to ye, lad?"

Freddy remained frozen to his spot as he stared blankly at his dear friend on the floor. His system seemed unwilling to move or respond to his requests to go to the rabbit's side. Repulsed by the depravity and extent of the damage, Freddy could only gape at what lay before him. Bonnie's entire face had been removed, leaving nothing, aside from his bottom jaw. Where the beloved guitarist's face had once been was now an empty crater. Wires lay exposed and spliced. Crucial fluid lines had been cut and left to drain. There were several holes in his exoskeleton, but none more severe than the empty spot where his left arm had once been. The once brilliant purple of his fur was dulled and marred with grease and dirt.

"What do we do, Freddy? He's not moving," Chica asked, the warping of her voice taking on a sad tune.

"Lad, lad. Oi, Bonnie. Rise and shine." Foxy knelt by the rabbit's ears and shook his only intact shoulder. There was no response for a time until two small red lights nestled in the back of the gaping hole slowly flickered to life.

The sound of metal creaking drew Chica's attention to Bonnie's bare right hand, the metallic appendage slowly curling and relaxing repeatedly before suddenly clawing into the linoleum. "B-Bonnie?"

Freed from his imprisonment of terror and disgust, Freddy lumbered to his feet and slowly approached the damaged vulpine. He watched Foxy tilt his head back and forth, his ears twisting and turning. "Do you hear something?"

"Aye, it sounds-"

"Shh, wait. I hear it too," Chica hissed.

A miniscule and nearly indiscernible electric whine was building within Bonnie and progressively growing louder. Freddy's brows lowered and he looked from Chica to Foxy in question. The fox simply shrugged as Chica remained despondent at Bonnie's side.

As the sound grew, Bonnie began to move, rolling his head from side to side slowly. The gears in his shoulder and spine whined in protest. His hand continued to claw deeper and deeper into the floor and Chica noticed a tremor beginning in the rabbit's limbs.

"Guys, I think something is wrong," Chica muttered, her jaw flopping to the side as she looked from Foxy and then to Freddy.

"Well, of course something is wrong! Those mechanics ripped off his face!" Freddy hissed.

"Arrgg, there be no need to snap at the lass, Fazbear," Foxy growled as he stood straight and faced the mascot.

Freddy, in turn, faced him. "Don't tell me what to do."

"Guys, guys!"

Chica's warning came too late as a crippling screech filled the air. It was as if a hundred metal forks were being simultaneously scraped against glass, the sound amplified by ten, and coming from all corners of the room. It sent waves of static across Freddy's vision and he stumbled back, momentarily blinded as he scrubbed at his ears in attempt to dull the sound, forgetting that they were merely decoration. His heel hit something solid and the heavy animatronic toppled backwards, error signals blaring through his system as the horrific shrieking continued. He could hear Foxy and Chica's voices, but could not make any sense of what was going on let alone what was being said. Eventually Chica's cracked and warped voice broke through the static and confusion, and as Freddy's vision cleared, he could just make out the consoling words she spoke in hurried succession.

"B-Bonnie! Bonnie! You gotta calm down! Bonnie!"

Shaking his head, Foxy groaned as he sidled over to the fallen bear to pull him to his feet. "Oi, Fazbear, don your sea-legs now," he grumbled as Freddy took the offered hand. Turning back to the rabbit and chicken, Foxy cringed at the sight of Bonnie's quivering form, the piercing electronic shriek still emanating from the damaged animatronic. Somehow, Chica had managed to calm him just enough that their systems were no longer reacting to the horrific pitch. Foxy observed over Freddy's shoulder as the bear lumbered towards their friend, kneeling on the opposite side of Chica now.

"Bonnie, you need to calm down. You're going to fry up," Freddy muttered.

The rabbit continued to flail on the ground, the tremors turning into convulsions as he kicked his legs, throwing his head from side to side. They had all suffered damage at the hands of the mechanics. Up until this point, Chica's hands had been the worst. The pain of exposed wires left dangling and open to fresh air was nearly unbearable. She couldn't touch anything without risk of a connecting current causing her a searing shock. The first time the wires in her arms crossed, it had short circuited, causing the animatronic's body to shut down. There was never a guarantee that they would reboot if they were completely shut down. Over the years, the degradation of their bodies and the circuitry had taken a toll on their systems.

They were outdated. Broken. Forgotten.

Chica had been lucky. Within ten minutes her system was up and running again. Freddy doubted Bonnie would be so lucky.

"Bonnie, stop flailing around. You're going to damage yourself further," Freddy commanded.

"He's a fathom down, Fazbear. Ain't no get'n through to 'em at this point," Foxy grumbled as he turned. The pneumatics in his legs squeaked with motion as he skulked to his corner.

Freddy turned after him. "What, then, do you propose?"

The fox slumped into his corner. "Ain't nothin' to propose."

"Freddy," Chica interjected softly, "We gotta do something."

The bear glanced down at Chica and Bonnie and was surprised to see two bright red optics pointed directly at him. Cold metal gripped Freddy's leg and he looked down to see Bonnie's robotic hand wrapped tightly around his limb. The rabbit released him and motioned Freddy to kneel close. The mascot did as he was asked, leaning in close. There were several guttural sounds as the rabbit attempted to speak. Freddy shook his head. He couldn't hear anything. Bonnie tried again, this time barely managing a few words that made no sense. Once more, Freddy shook his head. Without warning, Bonnie latched onto Freddy's costume and pulled him close.

Turn…me…off.

Freddy gasped wildly and batted Bonnie's hand away, jumping to his feet.

Chica was startled to her feet. "W-what? What's wrong?" The only reply came from the high-pitched whirring and clicking of the gears in Freddy's body. She had never seen their leader look so perturbed. She and the others relied on Freddy's cool head to direct and lead them. Watching him gape down at Bonnie, looking beyond himself, worried Chica. Her eyes bounced back and forth between the two several times. "Freddy! What did he say?"

If the situation weren't so dire, Foxy would have been amused at the sight of Freddy removing his top hat and running a paw over his head as though he had hair. But there was something to be said about seeing Freddy so worked up. There was something important he didn't want to share with them. His creaking joints protested as he stood up once again. "What is it, Fazbear? What did the lad say?"

Bonnie's body twisted again as the circuits seized, the electronic shriek building again. Freddy had to look away. No, he couldn't do what Bonnie requested. He couldn't. Bonnie was his friend. There was no way he was going to be responsible for shutting Bonnie down with no promise he would come back. Things would be okay, Freddy told himself. Things would eventually get better for them, wouldn't it? Bonnie just had to hold on until then.

Freddy was suddenly forced to look at Foxy, the imposing vulpine glaring up at him. His metal hook was looped around Freddy's upper arm. "What did the lad say, ya old salt?"

Frowning, Freddy shoved the fox back. "He didn't. It was nothing but static. His voice-box must have been damaged."

Foxy's ears swiveled back and he flipped up his eye-patch. "Ye lyin' to me?"

"Of course not," Freddy huffed.

"There has to be something we can do for him," Chica sighed as the tremors receded, leaving Bonnie to lay still on the floor. The room plunged into silence as each friend thought of any possible way to alleviate the agony of their bandmate.

"There not be much in this room," Foxy grumbled, "But maybe we can find somethin' to patch 'em up with."

Brightening up with the suggestion, Chica nodded. "Good idea, Foxy! Let's see if we can find some tools."

As the chicken wandered over to a stack of boxes, Freddy gave the fox a sidelong glance. "And just who is going to fix him? You don't know anything about repairing our bodies."

The crimson fox shrugged. "I figger I watched ye all be repaired enough times to know a thing or two." Foxy glanced down at his body. "It weren't gonna help me none."

Freddy dropped his head slightly. "Ah, right."

It didn't take long to find what meager supplies the room had. Anything of value and importance had been taken long ago and what was left was just as broken or damaged as the animatronics. Persistence had won in this case as Freddy and Foxy brought together a small pile of items that Chica had sought out: half a role of black electric tape, a handful of fuses of various amps, a pint and a half of oil, and several odds and ends the chicken suspected would be helpful.

As he studied at what he had to work with, Foxy released a manufactured sigh.

Looking up, Chica tilted her head. "What's the matter?"

"There not be much to work with here," Foxy muttered as he shook his head.

"Well, do what you can," Freddy grumbled as he scrubbed at his face.

"Maybe we should go into sleep-mode while Foxy works," Chica suggested quickly.

"Aye, thar be a good idea, lass." Foxy dropped next to Bonnie on the floor.

"You'll need help," Freddy countered. "You can't do much with a hook."

"Oh, and yer pudgy fingers can do better?" Foxy ignored the angry grumble from Freddy as he began to organize the items around him. "Just go into sleep-mode, Fazbear. Ye ain't help'n no one being a crab."

Freddy scowled at the fox, but decided against further instigating a fight. Bonnie's bright red optics had since dimmed and the seizing had ceased. For now.

Chica had a point. Ever since they had been abandoned, it had been years since they received any maintenance and keeping up their draining power reserves was difficult. He needed the rest. The large bear resigned to his usual spot, propping himself against the wall. Beside him, Chica leaned against the wall. Her eyes swiveled to meet his and he imagined a smile for her. He decided not to question it as he leaned his head back. It was nice to have company in the desolate room.

Without a clock or a window, it was impossible to tell what time it was. The concept of time was lost on the room full of animatronics left to perpetually rot in the backroom. For all Foxy knew, it could have been three days since he had sat down at his task at attempting to patch up Bonnie. In reality, it was only three hours. Three hours of sitting in this miserable dank little room. Three hours of contemplating his own failure.

There was no way for him to help the rabbit. Just as there was no way to console the chicken when she bemoaned for hours about her hands and jaw. He had said it to put Freddy's anxieties at ease and to soothe Chica's worries. But in reality, they were all going to end up falling apart sooner or later. Foxy knew this to be the ultimate truth. Their bodies would eventually rot and leave nothing but broken endoskeletons behind. Bonnie would just be lucky number one. Foxy had figured it would have been him that broke down first. Foxy scoffed. It should have been me.

Lifting his head from his paw, Foxy noticed the red optics brighten. The rabbit's ears twitched as did Foxy's in response. "Lad?"

The purple animatronic slowly rolled his head towards Foxy. Once again, like he had done to Freddy, the rabbit beckoned Foxy closer. "F-Foxy…"

Hadn't Freddy mentioned that Bonnie's voice-box had been damaged? Foxy shoved the thought aside as he brought his head closer to hear. "Aye, lad. I be right here."

"Foxy…t-turn me…o-off," Bonnie begged.

Foxy leaped to his feet as though he had suddenly been electrified. His ears flattened as he shook his head in disbelief. Surely, he had been mistaken. His jaw hung slack as the fox struggled to comprehend the gravity of Bonnie's request.

"L-lad, are you…are you sure?" He stood over Bonnie now, gazing down at him with his hand and hook drawn to his chest. "Are you…are you sure that's what you want?"

If Foxy had a stomach, it would have dropped out the moment Bonnie nodded. His eyes shot up to Chica and Freddy. Was this what Bonnie had asked of Freddy? Had the bear completely ignored Bonnie's desperate plea?

"F-Foxy…please," Bonnie's crackling voice whined.

The red fox gnashed his teeth together as he hung his head.

"It…hurts t-too…much," Bonnie whimpered.

Reaching up to scrub at his face, Foxy released an electric sigh. "Aye, lad, I hear ye." Squatting next to the purple rabbit, Foxy studied the face-less animatronic carefully. "Are ye sure?"

The rabbit nodded and Foxy could see the tremors beginning again. He wondered if the wires in his endoskeleton were being crossed somewhere causing the short circuiting. Reaching over, Foxy gently turned the rabbit's jaw to the side, exposing the back of his head. He knew from experience that the kill-switch for the animatronics was right there at the base of the skull. A simple glowing red button. Easy to access. Not so easy to push.

The metal of Foxy's hand reflected the flickering bulb of the room with haunting clarity. Bonnie was clearly beyond help, just as they all were. If turning him off was the only relief from the crippling seizures, who were they as his friends to deny his request? Foxy reluctantly peeled back the purple fur costume and opened the small hatch at the base of Bonnie's endoskeleton skull. Shining brightly back at him was the red button. All he had to do was to push it and Bonnie would power down.

A large brow fist flew from the darkness and cracked against Foxy's jaw, sending the red fox flying onto his back as static scattered across his vision. A mechanical wail pierced his ears as a second blow knocked his head to the side.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Freddy's voice sounded warped and distorted as the large bear pulled his bulky form over Foxy, blue eyes swallowed by fathomless black. Two pin-pricks of white bore down on Foxy as Freddy hovered over him, his paws prepared for a third strike.

Foxy reached up to his jaw, tenderly exploring his muzzle before turning his eyes upon Freddy. "What was that for?"

There was a low guttural growl that seemed to bubble up from Freddy's core as he snatched Foxy by his neck and yanked him to his feet. "Answer my question! What do you think you're doing with Bonnie?"

Foxy's metal claw dug into the soft padding of Freddy's paw as he wriggled in his grip. "Let me go, Fazbear! I ain't done a thing to the lad!" Foxy's head snapped back as Freddy shook him.

"I saw what you were about to do!"

"The lad wants to be shut down!" Foxy shot back.

Freddy pulled him close, ink-black eyes boring into Foxy. The fox could feel Freddy's grip threatening to snap the metal spine of his endoskeleton. Desperation filled the vulpine as he rapidly snapped his jaws at Freddy's face several times. The last bite managed to take a bit of brown fur with it. It worked. Freddy dropped Foxy as the bear patted his face, prodding his cheek for the damage. Foxy rose to his feet, pulling his shoulders up as he glared at the mascot.

"Ye best watch yerself, Fazbear," Foxy warned, snapping in Freddy's direction. "I'll rip ya a new hole for yer lies to leak through!"

"You're not the only one with strong jaws, Foxy," Freddy bellowed, storming towards the tall crimson animatronic.

Foxy bristled, growling low and deep. "Try it, ya scrub!"

Storming between the two battling animatronics, Chica shoved Freddy back. "What is wrong with you two?!" The mascot stumbled back as Chica whirled around to Foxy. "Bonnie needs our help and you two are sitting here acting like a bunch of animals!"

Foxy's ears lowered as his eyes dropped to the floor. "Ah, sorry lass." The sound of Bonnie's body easing into another epileptic episode tore through Foxy. Freddy was going to continue to let the lad suffer. And all for what? Lifting his head, Foxy released a crackling sigh. "Bonnie asked 'ta be shut off."

"No!" Freddy roared. "We can't turn him off!"

Kneeling beside Bonnie, Chica watched in helpless remorse as Bonnie's frame twisted and sparked, another electric seizure taking hold. Instead of the static-inducing shriek, Bonnie's voice-box was now warbling. It was a low mournful sound, like a child wailing in pain.

"Is that it? You want to be turned off, Bonnie?" Chica gazed down at her friend, her shoulders sagging as she watched Bonnie suffer. She was useless to him without her hands. "I think…."

Freddy lifted his head slightly, ears twitching.

"I think we should do it."

Chica's reply was so soft, Foxy nearly missed it. Hearing Chica reaffirm his own opinion didn't make it any less painful knowing the implications. He creaked towards her, placing his paw on her shoulder. "Aye, lass. I agree."

Golden yellow and lavender eyes rolled up to Freddy expectantly. He awarded their curiosity with a glare, both paws curling into fists. "How could you…."

Chica tilted her head slightly and Foxy snarled.

"How could you give up so easily! Look at what we've overcome so far! We still don't have our answers…our closure…." Freddy watched as the seizure began to fade. Bonnie's red backlights were dim. More so than before. Something in Freddy's chest pinched as though a wire had become snagged in a gear. It hurt. He reached up to rub the offending spot. "What if…what if he never comes back?"

Foxy and Chica exchanged glances before Chica stood with Foxy's assistance. She hobbled to Freddy, gazing up into the mascot's face. "He's in pain, Freddy. Look at him." She glanced over her shoulder and Freddy followed her gaze. "We can't repair him…we're never going to be repaired. You heard the engineers. They're going to bring in newer models." Looking back to the big brown bear, Chica wished more than ever that in this moment she could smile. "But…What if he wasn't alone?"

Freddy tilted his head slightly. "What…do you mean?"

Foxy cautiously approached them. "Lass…are ye suggesting what I think 'ya are?"

Chica shrugged sheepishly. "We could all power down together. That way, Bonnie wouldn't be alone." She turned her head away slightly. "Wouldn't it be nice? A little sleep…."

For the first time in a long time, Freddy and Foxy shared a look between them without malice. I had…no idea that they felt this way…. Freddy let his head fall slightly. Were they truly at this point? Had the others become so desensitized to the idea of revenge that they would rather sleep than find closure? Freddy had to ask himself: Am I ready to give up?

It had been so long since this nightmare had started. He was tired, yes. But his own drive for vengeance still burned brightly within him. But…these are my friends. Who am I to deny them what they desire?

Looking at Chica, Freddy raised his paw and gently lifted her broken bottom jaw. "Is that what you want?"

Chica gazed at him for a moment before turning to Bonnie. His red optics were staring at her. "Yeah, I think it is."

Freddy caught Foxy looking to him, degloved ears low. "Foxy?"

The pirate fox mimicked the sound of clearing his throat. "What're we stickin' 'round in these suits fer, Freddy?" He drummed his hook against his chest. "Jus' cuz we're stuck…dun' mean we gotta hurt all the time…."

Freddy's eyes brightened at the sound of his name in Foxy's pirate accent. He realized in that moment that he couldn't recall exactly when Foxy stopped calling him by his first name. It was nice to hear it again.

Foxy's eye dropped to the floor. "Bad things were done t'us…how long we gonna wait 'round for the answers?"

Meeting the red optics once more, Freddy slumped over to Bonnie and knelt by him. Freddy took Bonnie's metal claw in his as the rabbit reached for him, desperately trying to ride out the tremors that rattled his frame. Wrapping his other paw around Bonnie's hand, Freddy held it securely. He couldn't do it. He could no longer watch as his friend was tormented. Bonnie no longer wanted to suffer in his bodily prison. Freddy could understand that, as much as it made his chest ache. After all, what was more important? Revenge? Or friends? They had experienced a fate worse than Hell together. They were murdered, their bodies shredded and mutilated, together. Their bodies rotted, together. And their corpses were dug out of their metal prisons like gutted fish. Together.

"Okay, Bonnie. Just…give me a second here," Freddy sighed. Bonnie's claw tightened around his paw briefly before Freddy gently rolled the rabbit onto his side, exposing the back of his skull.

Chica and Foxy arrived on either side of the mascot. The large red fox glanced down at Chica, his jaw creaking gently the motion as he softly elbowed her. She turned and closed her eyes, wishing dearly she could smile up at the fox.

As Freddy peeled back the costume, his brown paw hovered momentarily over the button as he dropped his head. "I…I'll see you on the other side, friend."

Foxy's ears flicked up and he whirled towards the door. He could just utter out a hushed warning as the door swung open. The animatronics froze in place as Tyler sauntered into the Parts and Service room, swatting the light switch. It took several moments to register, the young man's face screwing into confusion as he gazed up at the flickering bulb.

"Weird…I must'a forgot to turn it off…." He turned to a wire shelf and began to rummage through some boxes. "Ugh…I can't wait for this day to be over with."

Reaching back to wipe his hands against his jeans, Tyler paused before slowly turning to the creatures amassed in the center of the room. A mix of shock and confusion drenched his expression as his eyes fell on the animatronics.

"Heh…I-I'm pretty sure that's not where we left you assholes," Tyler jabbed an accusing finger in their direction. "Gotta be a trick of the light…."

He cradled his injured hand against his chest unconsciously. Licking his lips, he leaned back to gaze out the open door. "Hey, Rich! Rich!"

His voiced echoed down the hall with no answer. Taking a breath to steady his fluttering heart, Tyler stepped forward. "Okay, well…you know…its time for you guys to be stored away anyways. Can't have you laying in the middle of the damn floor." He kicked Bonnie's degloved foot.

Foxy lunged, snapping twice in Tyler's face before freezing in mid-snap, jaws open wide and inviting. The flickering light glistened off his gold fang.

Tyler stumbled back. "Jesus-fucking-Christ!" If his heart wasn't thrumming like a war drum before, it was now.

"Tyler! Tyler, where are-" Rich paused, face red with panic and exertion as he froze in the door. Breathing heavily, he gulped a few mouthfuls of air before marching into the room. Wrenching Tyler from the floor, Rich shook the younger man's arm. "God damn, son. Don't scare me like that! What are you doing back here?"

Tyler yanked his arm free with an indignant huff. "I was looking for a flat-head!"

The pitch in which Tyler's voice rose would have made Foxy grin.

Rich drew a hand through his hair before shaking his head. "Didn't need to scream like that. Damn, I thought you were being murdered."

Tyler pointed at Foxy. "He attacked me!"

Rich raised a bushy brow. "He…attacked you…." It was less of a question and more of an accusation.

"Yes, Rich! He fucking attacked me!" Tyler raised his bandaged hand. "Look at how they're positioned! That's not where we left them!"

The older man sighed and gave the younger a pointed look before walking over to Foxy. He studied the broken animatronic for a moment before peeling back the red fur at the base of the fox's skull. Flipping open the hatch, Rich leaned in with a studious frown.

"Whelp, here's the problem. Looks like the power was left on…." Rich turned to Tyler, a dangerous look brewing in his eyes. "Didn't I specifically ask you to fully power them down as we worked on them?"

Tyler swallowed. This time it was not due to being jump-scared. His eyes wandered around the room as though studying the dark corners. "Well, yeah, of course."

Rich's eyes fell upon the prone rabbit. He reached over and patted the large mascot leaning over Bonnie before pulling back the brown fur costume. When the bright red power indicator light greeted him, Rich drew in a breath through his nose. "So…you didn't turn them off entirely…."

"I put them in sleep-mode! So what?" Tyler hissed. "The manuals said they would be easier to manipulate! I didn't feel like fighting the goddamn pneumatics! Besides…." He grumbled, eyes darting to Foxy. "They're robots. Its not like they can feel."

Rich took pause before turning back to Tyler, his brows knitted together. The young man glanced at him and watched as the older man sorrowfully aged in a matter of seconds. "Who are we to judge that, Tyler?"

Stricken speechless, the young engineer followed Rich as he pressed his thumb into Freddy's power button. The bear twitched as the electric currents filtered out through his system and eventually faded. The mascot slumped forward, baby blues rolling up into his skull. "Have a good nap, old timer."

One by one, Rich powered off the animatronics. Foxy's head and arms dropped and Chica crumpled to the floor. Turning to Bonnie, the older man watched as the violet rabbit's red backlights flickered. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and shook his head. Squatting, Rich gazed at the beaten animatronic before running his hand across the matted fur on Bonnie's belly. "…Its my fault for not checking…."

"I can't believe this," Tyler hissed and rolled his eyes.

"Listen here, I only hired you because your father asked me too, alright? 'Desperate for a job'; yeah, well…you have no respect for anything or anyone beside yourself. Go on, get out of here. You're done for today," Rich barked, flinging a hand dismissively over his shoulder. "You've done enough damage."

"Are you…are you firing me?!"

"I said nothing about firing you! Now get the hell out of here." Rich stood, drawing his bulky frame up and whirling around to the younger man.

The young mechanic opened and closed his mouth several times like a gasping fish, searching for a retort before giving up and storming out of the room.

Silence reigned, broken only by Rich's heavy breathing. Taking a moment to compose himself, he turned his attention back to the rabbit. "Alrighty, buddy. Time to go be with your friends." The felt between his fingers was warm as he poked around for the button. After a small struggle, he found sweet purchase and watched as the light faded from Bonnie's eyes.

The lightbulb overhead brightened and gave out with a startling pop, plunging the workspace into darkness.

"What the hell…."

A low mournful wail echoed from nowhere and everywhere at once, low and rumbling at first. It slowly crept to a moaning crescendo before disappearing just as quickly as it had formed. The sound of Rich's heart thundering in his chest punctuated the blackness. He dug around in his pocket, jangling keys and other items together until pulling out a small compact light. It flickered to life, hardly bright enough to cut through the dust-filled shadows. The man pointed the frail illumination at the animatronics before casting it about the room.

"Alright…alright…." Rich muttered, "I'm going."

As the man painstakingly and delicately shuffled his way through the darkness, four pairs of eyes watched as he exited the room. Casting one last consideration of the darkened room, Rich nodded solemnly and closed the door. "Sleep well."

I know you didn't mean it…Trapped in this eternal hell…Suffering…Maybe one day, it will change…You can't save us….