#fnafsb fanfic

[atragicsquirrel]

hello byacb-nation (all 2 of you)

chapter 11 is here with nearly 12k words for you to read and comprehend! like i mentioned in the notes, these next few chapters are mostly written as a breather in between events because once this arc is over we’ve got a whole slew of events happening. good luck!! enjoy!!!

[alynwrench]

This is for much much later into the fic, but I feel the need to share all the tidbits I can to keep people hooked LMAO

Recovery, such a messy thing.

[xthe-writing-vampirex]

Hi I have a question! Um I know you wrote it like a while ago, but do you think you will do a part 2 of the mechanic y/n with the animatronics? The one where she has a fear of them. If you do a second part do you think you can tag me?

Mechanic Y/N Part 2

Word count: 1,732

Finally got around to actually writing another part to this! It's looking like my brain is actually letting me write again and I couldn't be happier. I hope this went in a direction you like. I figured I'd try to give Y/N some one on one time with Chica since I don't think I've ever actually written that. I'll probably try to do the same with Roxy at some point as well but I figured Chica would be the most likely to be able to actually calm Y/N down. Anyway I hope you like it!

🌿🌿🌿

Your brush with a very grumpy Monty left you shaking and desperately trying to find somewhere you could actually be alone and try to calm down. Being around your bosses or coworkers like this would definitely not bode well for you. You honestly doubted they would fire you due to something like this but they would question your ability to properly do your job and you just couldn't let that happen. Spotting a nearby janitor's closet you rush over, opening the door and stepping into the surprisingly large space. The closet is full of the typical cleaning supplies and back up parts but it also opens up to what looks like a walk way that could serve as a back way to get from place to place. Closing the door behind you, you move forward, curious about the odd space you've found. When you round the corner however you notice a charging pod, blue lightning bolt glowing to signal someone is in it. You look up towards the little window that lets you see inside and your eyes land on the familiar face of the papa bear himself, Freddy. He doesn't notice you at first, eyes closed as if he's sleeping. It stands to reason that recharge is sort of like sleeping for them so it makes sense he would treat it like that. Curious, you step closer, watching the bear for any sign he might wake up. Unfortunately for you, with your focus so intently on Freddy you don't notice a piece of metal tubing haphazardly placed against the nearby wall. Your foot hits it, causing it to fall down with an audible clank. You flinch, looking up towards the bear again hoping it didn't alert him to your presence. Unfortunately for you, Freddy is a light sleeper.

“Y/N? What are you doing back here? Most of the staff don't come back here unless they're looking for something. Is there anything I can help you with?” The bear asks, stepping out of the charger and causing an audible hiss when the door opens. He steps down, looking down at your small frame and waiting for you to respond to him. Meanwhile you can't get your mouth to actually open and form words, too terrified by the sight in front of you. You're extremely close to the bear, face only coming up to his stomach hatch area. “Uh…..Y/N? Are you alright?” He asks, noticing you seem completely frozen and unable to talk. He's not sure what's going through your head but he's certainly not used to this sort of reaction from people, even in the past you'd never done this. Then again you'd avoided ever actually being this close to him. Eventually the bear gets down on one knee so he's more eye level with you, trying to snap you out of whatever trance you're currently in. “Superstar?” He says worriedly, moving to put a hand on your cheek. The movement knocks you out of your trance and you immediately move away from the bear, leaving him stunned with his hand still in the air.

“Y-Yup! I'm totally fine Freddy! See you later!” You reply quickly, wanting nothing more than to get away from the animatronic. First Monty and now this? God could you really do this job if you were this scared? Freddy pauses, bringing his hand down and trying to figure out what's going on here.

“Y/N. Wait a moment. I know something is wrong. Your heart rate is elevated and you seem to be going through a panic attack. How can I help?” The bear asks, causing you to stop and give him a rather rushed and fake smile.

“N-No no! No panic attacks here! I don't know what you're talking about Fred!” You reply, still frantically trying to think of a way to get out of this situation. “Gotta go check in on some of the staff bots! See ya!” You reply before quickly moving away from Freddy and out of the janitor's closet, leaving the bear still down on one knee and completely stunned by the whole interaction. Was it something he said?

After that ‘terrifying’, at least in your mind, interaction you head towards an out of place little hallway, shaking all the way there and trying to catch your breath. Freddy hadn't done anything scary persay but just being that close to that big of an animatronic scared the absolute shit out of you. Again you question how the hell you're going to do this job if you can't even get close to these robots without having a panic attack. Letting out a sigh you let your back fall against a nearby wall, sliding down it until your butt hits the ground. Should you just quit now? You'd been able to handle taking care of the simpler robots around the place but maybe that's just because they're closer to the size of normal people and unable to really do what the main four could. Sighing once again you put your head in your knees, trying to calm yourself down so you can go back out and actually do your job.

Just then you hear the familiar sound of an animatronic as they walk, getting closer and closer. Your head pops up immediately, eyes landing on the relatively short form of Chica, who thankfully is around the same size as a typical human female being the shortest of the group. Before you can protest the chicken comes and sits down next to you, smiling warmly at you.

“Hiya rock chick! Freddy told me what happened. I figured I'd try to find you and see if I could help ya out!” The chicken says cheerfully, You sit there nervously eyeing her and she eventually puts two and two together. “Would it help if I move away a bit, sweetie? I don't want to scare you or cause you more anxiety.” She explains, your look of confusion at what she says answers quite a few of her questions without you even having to say a word. The chicken moves away a bit, sitting with her legs closed and to one side. “Look sweetie. I'm not sure what we've done to scare you but none of us are out to get you. We just want to make sure you're okay. Freddy is worried sick about you and is convinced he did something wrong.” She explains, earning a confused look from you once again. You can't get over just how lifelike these beings are. They're unlike literally anything you've worked on before and they seem to have their own thoughts and feelings. Biting your lip nervously you try desperately to think of something to say to her, feeling kinda bad for worrying Freddy like this. Though to be fair you weren't even aware he could actually worry like this.

“You don't have to talk if you don't want to Rock Chick. I don't want to make this any more scary for you.” Chica states, keeping her movements slow and visible while monitoring your heart rate and breathing. “I do want to know though. Did we cause this in some way? You can just shake or nod your head if you want.” She explains, smiling when you shake your head no in reply. “Oh good. I was scared maybe Monty did something that freaked you out, or Roxy. I love her but she can be so blunt sometimes.” She rambles, which surprisingly is actually helping to calm you down. Despite knowing Chica is an animatronic she's actually extremely like a normal human in size and personality, like a bubbly friend who loves to talk. “Is it the whole size thing? Seems to make the parents a bit nervous too.” She continues, pausing to see if you'll shake your head in reply which you eventually do, a nod to be exact though the size thing isn't the only thing about them that scares you.

“I-Its a lot of things….” You manage, Chica playfully gasping in response.

“It speaks! Well I can't say I blame you for being nervous Rock Chick. Those boys make even me nervous sometimes. Especially when Monty gets angry and messes up his room. I think that would scare anyone. We really don't mean any harm though…..well me and Freddy don't. He's just a big teddy bear…..and I don't think Roxy or Monty do either, they're just difficult sometimes.” She replies, still smiling warmly to try and reassure you. “It's totally okay to take a while to get over this too Rock Chick. But I'm happy to help however I can!” She finishes, smile still bright as the sun. She puts a hand out for you, waiting for you to make a move to actually grab it. She doesn't have the sharp claws like the others do and her hand more or less just looks like a humans for the most part, like you can still tell she's an animatronic but at least they tried to make her more human like. You pause, staring at her hand for a few moments while she patiently waits to see if you're willing to take it. Eventually, albeit hesitantly, you put your shaky hand into hers and the happy little smile that she gives you when you do makes you smile a bit in response. How could you not? She just seems so happy that you actually gave her some trust.

“There you go sweetheart! Well done, I'm so proud of you!” She praises, making you blush a bit in the process. “Awe, you're so cute when you blush! You should do it more often, cupcake. Do you want to come hang out in my green room so you can calm down? We can get you some sweets and have some girl time hm?” She suggests, causing you to pause for a moment. You're worried about being seen by the others but are hoping maybe Chica will send them a message and tell them to leave you be for a bit, actually the chicken thought to do just that as soon as you nodded your head in response to her question. She bounces happily before carefully standing and starting to help you up. “Yay! Let's get to it, Rock Chick!” She states happily before beginning to lead you back towards rockstar row and to her room.

[enby--ghost]

Hey! Y'all remember that poll I did about that DCA au? Well...

I DID IT!! Friendly Figments takes place in a universe where the reader has been in a mental institution for most of their life, and started hallucinating Sun and Moon. Sun likes to encourage fun and thrilling activities, like playing games, jumping on the bed, or trying to balance on the back of chairs. Moon encourages more devious activities that benefit Y/N, such as stealing things they want, breaking the rules, and fighting the people who are mean to them. Please give it a read if you are interested! Who knows, there may even be a few familiar names. At the moment this is just a one shot, but if people like it enough, I'll write more! Broken Hearts and Rusted Bolts is still my main fic, so don't worry to the people who want more.

[bun-z-bakery]

≡;- ꒰𝘚𝘵𝑎𝑟𝑠 𐒆𝑓 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑃𝑎𝑠𝘵꒱

CW: ptsd, trauma, subtle self harm

A/N: Day 1 Star - Prompt fic for vanessas birthday event by @vanessaverse-official! This will be cross posted on my ao3. Enjoy!

Fnaf Menu | Work Menu | Ao3

Vanessa stood on the wobbly chair in the center of her dimly lit room, carefully stretching her arm upwards. The star in her hand was small, producing a faint glow. She had found a pack of glow-in-the-dark stars in the clearance bin of a craft store. Vanessa aimed to recreate a memory of the past, a memory she has clung to for many years since the day her father became the man she knew today. 

Vanessa presses the star against the ceiling then slowly moves her hand away, smiling at the newest addition that decorated her ceiling. For a second she could almost feel it again, the warmth of the campfire of that night and the sounds of the creatures that lurked within the woods. Her father laughed as she clung onto him in fear of something coming out to hurt them, but in his arms, she knew she was safe.

 However that was then, that was no longer Vanessa’s reality, She could still hear her father's laughter as they both lay on their backs, staring up at the sky scattered with stars that shined so brightly almost as if they were just for her. This was what Vanessa wanted, her happy memories back. The memories of her father, not the man she clings onto in hopes of seeing a glimpse of what he used to be. 

Satisfied with her work, Vanessa stepped down from the chair, blinking away the tears that started to swell in her eyes. She couldn't stop, not when she was almost done, the memory, her memory needed to be perfect, just like that night. 

One by one she continued placing the stars again, her fingers trembling with each one she held towards the ceiling. Her knuckles

were red from the frequent contact she made with the ceiling but she didn't care, Vanessa just wanted the comfort. In her eyes the stars were beautiful, pure, and untouched by the past that had consumed every bit of her life, maybe she could keep the stars there as a reminder of what could've been. 

Once again she steps down from the chair and admires her work. The stars that were supposed to help her reclaim her past now felt distant. Empty. 

She sniffled as she stood in silence. A few seconds went by before Vanessa's knees buckled. She sank to the floor as memories of both good and bad started to rush in, she crawled to the bag of remaining stars, and she gripped the bag causing some of the plastic stars to stab her palm. Vanessa threw the bag towards the artificial sky as she wept, the sound of plastic stars falling from her heaven landed on the ground. She takes one of the fallen stars that has now lost its shine and stares at it. 

"Just how many stars will I need to hang around me to finally call it heaven?" 

She screams as she holds herself in a vain attempt at self-soothing. She couldn't bring it back, no matter how many stars she hung, no matter how many memories she tried to recreate. Nothing she does will ever bring back the man that her father had once been.

[fnaf-is-awesome201]

Baby Steps

Healing is a long journey, one filled with many small steps. Luckily, Vanessa has a few friends that are willing to help her out along her journey.

Special thanks to ( @mason-gaylord ) mason,( @docleonidas ) doc, and ( @beneathascorpionsky ) beneathascorpionsky for assisting with the outlining process.

Hey, here’s another one. This one is partially based on Idea 13 from @halogenrobotics ‘s idea list. This one’s a little different than the others. It’s a collection of stories, with each segment featuring a different animatronic. Fair warning, it is very long, with five main segments and an epilogue of sorts for the sixth segment. Most of it will be under the read more.

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Roxy

Vanessa wandered through the entrance doors to Rockstar Row, searching the room as she entered. The room was brightly lit, covered floor to ceiling in colorful neon lights that reflected off of the dark tiled floors and cast a colorful glow on the various glass displays scattered about. It was fairly quiet, with the faint music playing over the speakers not quite being drowned out by the sound of the bustling chaos just on the other side of the doors.

“Come on, where could she be?” Vanessa asked herself as he took a few steps in, continually scanning the room. She walked towards the animatronics’ green rooms. Most of them had the curtains pulled back, leaving the empty rooms in full view. When she passed by Roxy’s room, she could hear someone muttering and growling to themselves behind the closed curtains.

“There she is.” Vanessa muttered as she wandered over to the door, stopping to knock on the door before entering her room.

“Yeah?” Roxy called through the door, sounding slightly frustrated. Vanessa opened the door and walked in, finding Roxy sitting in her chair in front of her mirror, fussing with her hair.

“Hey, Roxy. I hope I’m not interrupting anything… Are you busy right now?” Vanessa asked as she saw Roxy glance back at her from her mirror.

“No, I’m not too busy. I’m just trying to make sure there’s no grease or anything in my hair after that last party…” She picked a few crumbs out of her hair, grumbling in disgust as she continued to pick through her hair. “One of the little kids dragged his fingers through my mane and made it all gross and messy…” She tossed her hair back over her shoulder and continued to mess with it, trying to fix a few out of place strands. “Why? What’s up?”

“Well… I was kinda hoping that… maybe you could help me out with something…” Vanessa asked before looking over at Roxy. She had frozen in place, seemingly stunned by Vanessa’s request. “No, never mind, it’s silly…” Vanessa muttered anxiously, moving back towards the door.

“Woah, hold on a sec.” Roxy said, spinning around in her chair to face Vanessa. “Now you’ve got me curious.” She waved a hand towards Vanessa. “Spill, girl. I’m all ears.” Vanessa sighed, hesitating and picking at the fabric of her sleeves.

“It’s just… I want to kind of distance myself from what happened… Make myself as different from Her as possible… And I’ve been trying to do that, but I just feel kind of lost on what to do next.” She glanced at Roxy, who nodded in acknowledgement and motioned for her to continue. “So… I was wondering if… maybe… you could help me find a new look?” Roxy got up from her chair and went over to Vanessa. 

“Ah, I see. Have any ideas on what you’d like to start with?” Roxy asked.

“Well… before… before Her… I tried to add some rainbow streaks to my hair. I thought it would look nice, so I gave it a shot. It didn’t go perfectly… but I did like how it looked regardless.” She responded, looking up at Roxy, who nodded, trying and failing to contain her enthusiasm. She gently placed a hand on Vanessa’s shoulder.

“Well, you’ve come to the right place, then! C’mon, let’s head over to the salon and get started.” Roxy responded and led Vanessa over to the salon, chatting more along the way about what Vanessa wanted to do with her hair.

As soon as they entered the main room, Vanessa noticed that it was very quiet. There weren’t any big crowds or overly loud guests, just a peaceful empty room with the salon in the middle.

“I’m guessing this place isn’t super busy, huh?” Vanessa asked, turning to look at Roxy as they walked toward the salon.

“Well, it’s not technically open to guests yet. It’s fully stocked and hooked up and everything, but I think they’re waiting to find more staff before they reopen.” Roxy responded as she opened the front door and gestured for Vanessa to go inside. “Still, I like to come down here sometimes. It’s a nice place to just think and relax for a bit, I guess.” She shrugged as she closed the door behind her and turned on the main lights, flooding the building with warm, bright light. “Besides, I’m less likely to be bothered here than I am in my room.”

Roxy spun one of the chairs around towards Vanessa.

“Take a seat, blondie!” Roxy motioned to Vanessa to sit in the chair. Vanessa sat down, staring blankly at her reflection in the mirror for a second, before quickly looking away. “Now, let’s see what we’re working with before we pick out some colors.” Roxy carefully took the hair tie out of Vanessa’s hair and draped her hair over her shoulders, humming slightly in thought.

“W-what?” Vanessa nervously turned and looked at Roxy.

“Your hair is… really tangled…” Roxy said as she tapped a single claw against her face once or twice, then shrugged at Vanessa. “That’s easy to fix, though.” She continued and tilted her head to the side slightly. “You know, your hair looks really nice when it’s down like that.” She stepped back and motioned for Vanessa to follow her. “Come on, let’s pick out some colors for your hair and get started. And, if you want, I can give you some hair styling tips when we’re done.”

Vanessa followed Roxy and picked out some hair dye, eventually going for a bright rainbow of colors after looking through all her different options. After that, she got her hair brushed, washed, and trimmed, before finally prepping her hair for the dye. She chatted with Roxy while getting her hair dyed, with Roxy mostly ranting on about all the gossip and drama she had seen earlier in the day and occasionally asking Vanessa about her day or her new job. After the dye was applied, Roxy stepped back to admire her work.

“Well, I think this will turn out beautifully!” She flipped her hair back over her shoulder, confidently admiring her work, before swiveling Vanessa’s chair around to face her. “Hey, while we’re waiting for the dye to finish up, how about I paint your nails?” Roxy asked.

“Yeah, sure. That sounds nice.” Vanessa watched Roxy as she disappeared into the storage room. After a moment, she wandered out, holding a large case full of different colored bottles of nail polish. She set down the case on the counter in front of Vanessa, and opened it up, displaying all of the brilliant colors available.

“Which color would you like?” Roxy’s tail swayed excitedly behind her as she asked this. Vanessa looked at the case, almost overwhelmed by all the different bottles and colors to choose from.

“Honestly, anything but purple would be great, please.” Vanessa watched Roxy as she perused through the bottles.

“How about…” She picked two out and held them in her hand before holding the bottles out towards Vanessa, showing off the glittery polish inside, shaking them slightly so that it sparkled magnificently in the light, “Red and black?”

“Aren’t those your colors?” Vanessa asked with a quiet laugh. Roxy put the bottles down on the counter and chuckled.

“Okay, okay, you got me there. But hey, if it looks good on me, it should look good on everyone, right?” She paused for a moment. “After all, who wouldn’t want to look as beautiful as me?” She took a step back and tossed her hair back, striking an overly dramatic pose as she did so.

“Fair point,” Vanessa chuckled. Roxy fixed her hair and walked back over to the counter, putting the two bottles of polish she picked out back into the case, before sifting through the rest of the bottles, occasionally pulling one out to show off the color.

“Alright, how about something else… Hm… how about blue? There’s a bunch of nice shades of blue in here. Or maybe a nice green, or orange… Oh, wait! How about yellow?” She started going through various drawers around the salon. “I remember I saw a particularly nice shade around here somewhere the other day…”

“Yellow would be lovely.” Vanessa answered as she watched Roxy dig through one final drawer before holding up a bottle of polish triumphantly.

“Ha! Found it!” She pushed the large case of polish aside and set the bottle on the counter in front of Vanessa.

“Oh, that is really nice.” Vanessa picked up the bottle and examined the color, watching it shimmer in the light, before handing it back to Roxy.

“Alright, then let’s get started!” Roxy pulled up a chair, grabbed a bottle of base coat polish, and sat down in front of Vanessa. “So, do you want to do anything special, like add some cool designs or patterns or anything while we’re painting your nails, or-” She glanced down at Vanessa’s nails before applying a base coat and stopped in her tracks. “Oh…”

“What?” Vanessa anxiously pulled her hand back.

“Well… we need to fix your nails first. They’re just… a bit ragged…” Roxy tapped her claws on the counter beside her as she tried to remember where she could find a manicure kit. Roxy paused when she saw Vanessa pulling her hands close to herself, slightly embarrassed.

“Hey, it’s not that bad! Trust me, it’s an easy fix.” Roxy gently placed a hand on Vanessa’s shoulder. “Just… don’t forget about the little things, you know?”

Vanessa sighed, holding her head in her hands.

“I know… it’s just… it’s difficult sometimes…” She sighed again, covering her face, trying to hide herself away and hide her embarrassment.

“I know.” Roxy leaned against the counter as she spoke, her tone very sincere. Vanessa glanced at her, surprised. “Believe me, I know. But trust me, you’ll feel better in the long run if you take care of yourself.” Roxy leaned back in her chair, tapping a claw against her chin as she thought for a moment. “Think of it… like routine maintenance. You have to take care of the little things when they come up, so they don’t turn into bigger problems later.” She leaned closer to Vanessa, lowering her voice slightly. “I know it’s tough sometimes, but you really do need to keep up with these things. And hey, if you need it, I’m always willing to help out a friend. Okay?”

Vanessa hesitantly nodded, dropping her hands from her face, and smiled at Roxy.

“Yeah… okay.” Vanessa answered Roxy, who simply nodded in acknowledgement before getting up from her chair. “I’ll try to get better at that, Roxy.” She said quietly as Roxy walked back towards some shelves near the back of the building, combing through the various boxes as she looked for the elusive manicure kits.

“You better!” Roxy chuckled, looking back towards Vanessa. After a moment or two, she found what she was looking for and returned to her chair in front of Vanessa. “Now, let’s get back to those nails, and afterward we can see how the dye turned out.”

Vanessa continued to chat with Roxy as she fixed her nails and started painting them. After her nails had been painted, the dye was rinsed out of her hair and her hair was dried. After she had brushed her hair and Roxy made some slight adjustments, Roxy turned Vanessa’s chair around so she could see her hair in the mirror.

“Not bad, if I do say so myself! Not bad at all. Wait…” Roxy quickly fixed a couple out of place strands in Vanessa’s hair and stepped back. “There, perfect.” She glanced at Vanessa. “What do you think? Is it a good start?”

Vanessa stared at her reflection in the mirror, her expression blank for a few moments. It was still uncomfortable to look at her reflection, even after so long. But, she started to see a bit more of herself as she looked into the mirror. It may have only been a minor change on the outside, but to Vanessa, it made a big difference. She smiled as she turned towards Roxy.

“I’d say it’s a rather good start. Thanks, Roxy.” Vanessa looked back at the mirror and turned her head, admiring the rainbow of colors in her hair.

“Cool!” Roxy exclaimed.

Suddenly, there was a faint beeping sound that lasted for a few seconds before the room went silent. Roxy rolled her eyes and huffed, starting to make her way towards the door and motioning for Vanessa to follow.

“Looks like it’s time for me to get back to work.” She opened the door to the salon, letting Vanessa walk out before following close behind. “But hey, we should do something like this again sometime. Maybe next time you stop by, we can try out some makeup and see if there’s anything you like.”

“Yeah, that sounds like fun.” Vanessa walked with Roxy to the main lobby. As soon as they entered the lobby, the faint beeping started again, more persistent this time.

“Well, looks like I really need to get back to work now. I guess I’ll see you later, then.” Roxy started walking back towards the atrium, pausing for just a moment. “And seriously, if you ever need any help, you know where to find me.”

“Thank you, Roxy.” Vanessa smiled and waved at Roxy, watching as she waved back before heading into the atrium.

“Thank you.”

 -------

Monty

Vanessa had been wandering around the main atrium of the Pizzaplex, checking out the shops and different attractions, and chatting with some of the animatronics for a moment or two before they had to rush off to work again. Eventually, she ended up wandering into Monty Golf. It was unusually empty, and with that it was surprisingly quiet. Vanessa wandered around for a bit, pausing every once in a while to look at all the different minigolf courses. There were golf balls scattered everywhere around the courses, some of them even stuck up in the decorative trees and nearby structures.

“Well… that’s a little strange…” As she continued on through, she could hear faint laughter in the distance. After making it to the other side of Monty Golf, she finally spotted the source. At the final course, Monty was giving lessons to a large group of little kids, their parents watching and waiting close by.

“Ah. That explains it.” Vanessa wandered a bit closer, staying to watch the end of Monty’s golf lesson.

“Last call, who’s up?” Monty waved his hand towards the group, trying to encourage someone to step up to the course. As one boy stepped forward, everyone else took a few steps back. Monty set a golf ball down at the start of the course and stepped back, allowing the boy to play.

“Alright then, give it your best shot!” Monty watched as the boy stared blankly at the course that stretched on in front of him, before swinging his golf club with all his strength at the ball. Everyone behind the boy ducked to avoid getting hit as the ball bounced off of one of the obstacles and hurtled back into the crowd. Monty sighed, grumbling quietly in frustration for a moment, as the crowd of children burst into a fit of giggles. The boy was still facing away from the group, his face going red with embarrassment.

“Hey now, that’s enough of that.” Monty glanced towards the group, his somewhat stern tone quieting their laughter briefly. After a moment, he walked back over to the boy and knelt down beside him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re doing great, kid, but you’re still hitting way too hard.” Monty got back up and grabbed his own golf club, which was leaning against the wall. He placed another golf ball in front of the kid, and then placed one off to the side. “Here, just follow what I do, alright?” Monty stood off to the side of the course, waiting for the boy to mimic his stance. “Now, just gently hit the ball, see?” He gently swung the club, watching as the ball followed along the side of the course, before rolling to a stop at the very end. “Try it.”

The boy stared at him for a moment, before slowly stepping up to the ball and copying Monty’s demonstration. After a brief pause, he hit the ball, watching as it bounced back and forth along the course, avoiding the obstacles in its way, before finally landing in the hole at the end of the course.

“Nice shot, kid!” Monty cheered, giving the boy a thumbs up. “With skills like that, you’ll be a pro in no time!”

A big smile spread across the boy’s face as he walked back over to the group. Monty turned back to face them.

“Well, looks like that’s all the time we got today.” Monty waved the group of parents over as the kids grumbled disappointedly in protest for a moment, only to rush over to their parents and talk about how much fun they were having. “Come back real soon, everybody!” Monty waved as the kids walked towards the exit with their parents, most of the kids waving back to him before leaving.

After everybody had left, Monty looked around the room, chuckling quietly to himself as he kicked around a few golf balls at his feet.

“This’ll take a while to clean up…” he muttered, sweeping a few balls off to the side with his golf club. His eyes continued to wander about the room, amused by the chaos the children had brought. After a moment, he froze, his gaze landing on a familiar face.

“Hey, V!” Monty boomed, waving to Vanessa as she approached. “Good to see you again!”

“It’s good to see you, too!” Vanessa smiled, holding back a laugh as she looked at the mess scattered around the room. “Looks like you had fun with the golf lessons today.”

“Kids. They’re fun, but MAN do they know how to make a mess.” Monty chuckled as he looked around. After a moment, he looked back towards Vanessa. “So, how’s it going? How’ve you been?”

“It’s going pretty well, actually.” Vanessa smiled. “I’ve been doing really well at my new job, and I got Roxy to help me with my hair, which was a nice change.”

“I thought something was different! Looks nice! Very colorful.” Monty complimented, giving Vanessa a thumbs up. He paused for a second, tilting his head slightly in curiosity. “So, what’s up? You’re here a bit earlier than usual.”

“Well, Gregory wanted to stop by, so I’m just kind of wandering around while he does his own thing.” Vanessa shrugged. “I caught the end of one of your classes and decided to stick around for a bit. Looked like everyone was having a lot of fun.”

“Yeah, it’s really fun! I like to teach them, and the kids love to play.” He paused for a moment, lowering his voice ever so slightly. “I’m just glad they seem to like me.” After another brief pause, he shook his head slightly and adjusted his sunglasses, causing a reflection of brilliant neon light to dance across the lenses. “Must be my charming personality!” He laughed as Vanessa grinned and rolled her eyes.

“You know, watching you teach the kids kind of reminds me of something I used to do.” Vanessa paused for a moment. “You know, before everything here…”

“You used to work with kids?” Monty said, failing to hide his surprised tone. Vanessa glanced over at him, a confused look on her face for a moment.

“Oh, that’s right. I never told you guys about that, did I?” Vanessa smiled. “Well, yeah, I used to work with kids. Before I came here, I used to volunteer at local schools from time to time. Mostly preschools, but sometimes I’d work with older classes.”

“Really?” Monty leaned on his golf club, listening intently, his head tilted to the side in curiosity as Vanessa continued.

“Yeah, really. I mostly just assisted the teachers with simple things, but occasionally I’d teach the classes when needed.” Vanessa thought for a moment. “Well, I guess by teach I mean handing out worksheets or coloring activities. I’d read stories to the preschool kids, too.” She smiled. “And of course, sometimes I’d be asked to talk about my job testing games.”

“That sounds nice!” Monty said enthusiastically.

“It really was nice… I want to try and start doing stuff like that again…” Her smile began to fade as she thought about it further.

“Well, why don’t you?” Monty asked, curious.

“It’s just… It would mean being close to kids again, and…” Vanessa’s voice trailed off into little more than mumbling. She sighed and put her head in her hands, unable to continue.

“Let me guess, you’re worried you’ll hurt them?” Monty interjected, pausing for a moment as he looked over at Vanessa. Vanessa nodded and took a deep breath, trying to control her anxiety.

“I know it’s unlikely but… I still worry about it… I’m just scared that I’ll get upset, and-” Vanessa stopped as Monty placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Trust me, I get it. I feel the same way sometimes.” Monty’s voice was quieter than usual, his tone serious and sincere.

“... Really? You do?” Vanessa glanced at him. Monty nodded and stepped back.

“Of course!” He paused for a moment, thinking. “Look, I might be rockin’ awesome,” He hesitated for a brief moment, taking off his sunglasses as his tone shifted, becoming slightly more melancholy. “But… y’know, that doesn’t mean I don’t sometimes get a bit frustrated… maybe even angry… when the kids break something, or throw trash in the water or leave it on the course, or make fun of the other kids…” He sighed and blankly stared off into the distance. “And for me, yeah, getting angry can be… dangerous…”

“How do you deal with it? What do you do when you get upset?” Vanessa inquired, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Well,” Monty held his chin and glanced up towards the ceiling, lost in thought for a second before he responded. “There’s a lot of ways to deal with it and manage it. One of the more important things to remember is to always think before you speak. You don’t want to end up saying something in anger that you might regret later, trust me on that.” He gently tapped his sunglasses against the side of his snout a few times, thinking. “One thing that I’ve found that helps is to take a step back, count to ten, and take a deep breath-”

“But you don’t breathe.” Vanessa blurted out, looking over at Monty as he huffed and rolled his eyes.

“You know what I meant, no need to get smart…” Monty grumbled as he put his sunglasses back on, hiding behind the tinted lenses. “Point is, you need to give yourself space to process, reset, and recalibrate.” He paused for a moment, looking down at the floor and tapping his claws against his chin as he thought. “Wait… maybe not that last one…” Monty mumbled to himself for a moment, trying to think of a better way to explain.

“Yeah, maybe not.” Vanessa chuckled. “But I think I know what you mean.” She smiled.

“Getting angry is completely normal. It happens to everyone, believe it or not. There are some things that you can’t control no matter how hard you try.” Monty continued; his voice quiet yet sincere. “The important part is how you deal with it. The one thing you have control over is how you react, you get me?”

Vanessa contemplated for a moment, her expression blank as nothing but silence filled the air around them.

“Yeah. Thanks, Monty, that’s really helpful. I’ll try to keep that in mind.” Vanessa broke the silence, smiling softly at Monty as she spoke.

“Good.” Monty nodded at Vanessa.

Suddenly, they were both startled as a staffbot approached them, beeping angrily as it irritatedly pointed at both of them and then at the exit.

“The attraction is now closed. Please make your way to the exit.” It said in its robotic, monotone voice.

“Alright, I’m going, I’m going.” Monty growled, holding up his hands defensively. He waved for Vanessa to follow as he gathered his things and they both headed for the exit.

The main atrium was surprisingly uncrowded, with only small groups of guests gathered at some of the restaurants and other attractions that were still open, leaving the main floor mostly clear.

“Looks like it’s getting late.” Vanessa looked around, chuckling to herself as she watched parents carrying their tired kids towards the lobby to leave. “I should probably find Gregory so we can get going.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea." Monty looked around for a moment. “Well, I have to go meet up with the others, so, tell the kid I said hi, alright?” He started to walk off before he turned back towards Vanessa. "And good luck with that volunteering gig, by the way! I hope my advice can help you get through it!" He chuckled and waved back at Vanessa as he walked away. “See you around, V!”

Vanessa smiled in return.

"Thanks, Monty. I think it will."

 -------

Chica

Chica wandered through the Pizzaplex, enjoying the music playing over the speakers and happily humming along as she admired all the assorted colors that surrounded her. Most of the guests had already left for the night, but she would occasionally bump into a staffbot or two in the empty halls, pausing to have a friendly conversation before continuing on her way.

After walking for a while, she stumbled upon Vanessa. She was sitting at a desk, absentmindedly chewing on a pen, mumbling anxiously to herself, deeply lost in thought. Chica walked a little closer, trying to hear what Vanessa was worrying about, but her words were still indistinguishable. 

“Hey, Nessa!” Chica chirped, gently tapping Vanessa on the shoulder.

Startled, Vanessa yelled and jumped out of her chair, practically throwing it to the side as she turned around, startling Chica in the process and causing her to take a few steps back. After seeing it was only Chica, Vanessa took a deep breath to calm herself down.

“Chica!” She chuckled nervously. “Where did you come from?”

“I was just walking around, you know?” Chica shrugged. “Anyways, I was hoping I could ask you something. But, if you’re too busy-”

“No, no, it’s fine.” Vanessa cut in as she discreetly pushed the now ruined pen out of view. “What’s up? What did you want to ask?”

“So, I remember you said that you used to bake cupcakes a lot, right?” Chica said, failing to hide the excitement in her voice.

“Oh… Yeah, I used to make them all the time for friends and coworkers.” Vanessa smiled slightly. “I’ve been wanting to start making them again. It was fun to bake and decorate them.”

“Oh! Oh! Can you teach me?! Please please please!” Chica practically squealed with excitement, hopping in place and clapping her hands enthusiastically.

“Sure, Chica.” Vanessa laughed.

Chica led the way to the kitchen, excitedly babbling about how she’d always wanted to make cupcakes, as well as asking questions about how they should be decorated and what flavors were the best.

Once they were in the kitchen, Chica and Vanessa gathered everything they would need and got started. Vanessa walked through every step with Chica, helping her measure out ingredients and being sure to explain each step in detail as they worked. When they were finally ready to start baking, they had made a few different batches with different flavors, since Chica couldn’t decide on just one. Then, with the cupcakes in the oven, they started to clean up and get out the decorating materials so they would be ready when the cupcakes were done baking.

“Hey, Vanessa?” Chica turned towards Vanessa.

“Yes, Chica?” Vanessa glanced over at Chica as she continued to clean up.

“I’m just a bit curious…” Chica hesitated for a second, arranging a few containers of sprinkles in front of her before continuing. “You seemed pretty lost in thought when I found you. Is something going on?”

“Oh, I was just thinking about something I have planned for later this week…” Vanessa sighed.

“Can you tell me about it?” Chica looked over at Vanessa. “Maybe talking about it would help ease your mind about whatever’s making you nervous.”

“Well…” Vanessa hesitated, before finally giving a defeated sigh. “Alright. It… involves a good friend of mine. His name is Luis. I’m pretty sure you’ve met him before, right?” Vanessa looked over at Chica. Chica placed a hand on the side of her face, gently tapping her fingers against her cheek and humming quietly as she thought.

“Hm… Oh, yes, I think I remember! He was the one who ‘geeked out’ when he met us, right?” Chica asked.

“Yep, that’s him.” Vanessa chuckled. “We decided to get some coffee and catch up this Friday.” Vanessa jumped, startled, when Chica let out a loud gasp.

“You’re going on a date?! That’s great!” Chica squeaked, giggling gleefully.

“NO!” Vanessa panicked, freezing for a moment after seeing Chica’s surprised expression. “I mean…” Vanessa hesitated for a moment, before letting out a sigh and giving an awkward smile. “Maybe? I’m not really sure…”

“Oh, this is wonderful news!” Chica exclaimed, unable to contain her enthusiasm.

“Yeah… I’m just a bit nervous about it, I guess…” Vanessa said quietly. She looked over at Chica, immediately noticing her somewhat confused expression. “I… haven’t really been on a date before. I’m just worried that, if this is a date, I’ll mess it up somehow…” Vanessa turned away for a moment, slightly embarrassed.

“Oh, Vanessa, I really don’t think you have anything to worry about!” Chica started to arrange different colored frosting next to the sprinkles. “Besides, it’s just a first date! It’s not a big deal if things don’t go perfectly.”

“Oh? And how many dates have you been on to make you such an expert?” Vanessa joked, laughing quietly.

“Well… none…” Chica huffed. “But I’ve seen and talked to several wonderful couples around the Pizzaplex! They come here all the time!” She faced Vanessa and put her hands on Vanessa’s shoulders, trying her best to be reassuring. “Just be yourself and have fun! I’m sure everything will be fine!”

“Well… if you say so…” Vanessa smiled at Chica.

“I do say so!” Chica gently patted Vanessa’s shoulder before going back to organizing things on the counters. “I just want you to have a good time!”

“Thanks, Chica. You were right. Talking about it did help me feel a bit better.” Vanessa smiled at Chica, who was humming happily to herself.

“No problem, Vanessa! I’m glad I could help!” Chica continued to hum to herself for a moment before she was interrupted by a loud ding. “Oh, looks like the cupcakes are ready!”

After the cupcakes had some time to cool, Vanessa and Chica got started with decorating. Vanessa separated the cupcakes out so they could each decorate them however they wanted, though Chica managed to grab a couple to eat before they were decorated, trying and failing to hide the evidence in time. After a little while, all the cupcakes had been intricately and carefully decorated, some more simplistic in design and others more complex.

“Oh, these look lovely, Vanessa!” Chica gushed, holding her face in her hands as she admired the cupcakes.

“Hey, I can’t take all the credit here! You made them too, you know!” Vanessa chuckled as Chica continued to closely examine each cupcake, before she carefully picked one up and took a big bite.

“Wow, these are really good!” Chica quickly ate the rest of it. “I love them, Vanessa! Thank you for teaching me the recipe!”

“Aw, thanks Chica! I’m glad you like them!” Vanessa looked over at Chica, who was already picking up another cupcake. “Just try not to eat them all, okay? I want to take a couple back for Gregory to try.” Vanessa grinned as she picked up a cupcake for herself and separated out a few to take with her.

“No promises!” Chica giggled as she picked up yet another cupcake.

Vanessa quickly found a container and packed away the cupcakes she had picked out, leaving the rest for Chica as she continued to grab cupcake after cupcake, each time commenting on how good they were before picking up another. After Chica had finished off the cupcakes, Vanessa helped her clean up the mess they had made in the kitchen and made sure everything got put away in its proper place. Chica glanced at the clock once they were done, letting out a loud sigh when she saw the time.

“Looks like the doors are going to close for the night pretty soon.” Chica turned towards Vanessa. Vanessa’s eyes widened as she whipped her head around to look at the clock.

“Oh, wow, I didn’t realize it was that late…” Vanessa mumbled to herself. “I should probably get going, then.”

“I’ll walk with you to the lobby if you want!” Chica waved Vanessa towards the door and opened it to let her through. Vanessa smiled, grabbed the container of cupcakes, and followed Chica as she made her way to the lobby. Chica talked the whole way there, pointing out her favorite colors in the neon signs and bright screens, and she made sure to tell Vanessa about all the best places to spend time around the Pizzaplex. Finally, they arrived at the lobby.

“This was so much fun!” Chica paused for a moment. “Oh, maybe we can trade recipes next time you stop by!” She exclaimed; her voice filled with excitement.

“Honestly, that sounds great!” Vanessa smiled at Chica before making her way towards the doors. “I’ll see you later, Chica!” Vanessa chuckled as she watched Chica wave excitedly.

“See you later, Nessa! Oh, and good luck on your date! Be sure to tell me how it went!” Chica called out, pausing, and waving for a moment.

Vanessa turned and smiled as she stopped in front of the door to wave back to Chica.

“I’m hoping for the best.”

 -------

Sun/Moon

Vanessa walked towards the entrance to the daycare, smiling and holding back a chuckle as she watched a train of tired parents lugging their equally tired children towards the exit. As she approached the main doors, she could hear someone joyfully humming to themselves just behind the doors. She went up to the doors to knock, but she paused at the doors when she noticed they were cracked open slightly. She opened the doors a bit more and poked her head through, looking inside the daycare area. There, she saw Sun, holding a small stack of papers and excitedly roaming around the room, the bells on his shoes jingling quietly with each step he took. He hummed to himself as he disappeared behind one of the play structures.

Vanessa pushed through the doors, looking around the brightly colored and brightly lit space. Despite the fact that everyone had only just left, nothing in the daycare was out of place. Everything was neatly organized and in its proper place. Vanessa walked further, her gaze wandering from one thing to the next. As she looked at the walls, she noticed that there were drawings, most of them in crayon, that had been carefully put up all over the place. Vanessa smiled as she looked over the drawings, amused by the sketchy outlines and vibrant colors in every picture.

After a moment, Vanessa could hear the faint sounds of jingling bells returning. As she turned to face the source, she saw Sun walking out from behind one of the play structures, completely focused on shuffling through the stack of papers he was holding. When he looked up and saw Vanessa, he waved to her enthusiastically, causing the bells on his wrists to jingle.

“Vanessa! Hello!” Sun said excitedly, quickly walking over to Vanessa. “How are you today?”

“Hey, Sun.” Vanessa smiled. “I’m doing alright today. How are you?”

“Oh, I’m doing GREAT!” Sun paused, straightening the papers he was holding. “I was just putting up a bunch of pictures the kids made!” He excitedly pushed the papers into Vanessa’s hands. “LOOK!”

Vanessa flipped through the papers, each one covered in sketchy yet carefully made drawings.

“Wow, these look really good.” Vanessa continued looking through the drawings, each with their own unique style. When she was done, she handed the drawings back to Sun.

“I know, right?!” Sun turned towards the wall plastered with drawings, waving a hand dramatically at the pictures. “Those kids are real artists!” He paused for a moment, turning back to face Vanessa. “Speaking of kids. Moon and I wanted to ask how the little stardrop is doing? We haven’t seen him in a few days.”

“Oh, Gregory’s doing fine. He’s just been dealing with school stuff lately, so he’s been busy.” Vanessa paused for a moment. “He’s probably playing games with Freddy in his room right now.”

“Oh, I see! Well, that’s great to hear!” Sun said excitedly as he carefully stuck another drawing to the wall.

Vanessa grinned then paused, the smile fading from her face as she thought for a second. “I… I was actually hoping I could ask for your help with something…”

“Oh, of course! I’ll help if I can!” Sun walked over to the nearby security desk and set down the papers, turning back to face Vanessa. “Okay, I’m listening!”

“Well… I was wondering if you had any advice about dealing with nightmares?” Vanessa asked hesitantly.

Sun froze for a second, before hesitantly tapping a finger against his face and humming quietly as he thought. After a brief moment had passed, he shrugged and shook his head.

“I’m sorry Vanessa, but I don’t think that’s something that I can really help with…” Sun looked towards Vanessa. As soon as he saw her vaguely sorrowful and disappointed expression, he panicked, frantically waving his hands in front of him as if he were trying to swat away his words. “BUT! But… you should ask Moon! He’s much better suited to answering those kinds of questions.” He anxiously began to curl in on himself as he fiddled with the ribbons on his wrists, which made the bells attached to them ring softly. “He’ll be here in just a moment…”

Vanessa nodded and smiled at Sun. She looked around for a moment, taking in the bright colors of her surroundings before she heard faint mechanical clicking and a quiet whirring noise that stopped after a moment or two. When she looked back to where Sun had been standing, Moon was standing next to her instead.

“Hello, Vanessa.” Moon said, his voice calm and quiet, as he slowly waved to Vanessa. “I understand that you had a question you wanted to ask me?”

“Well… it’s just that… I keep having these nightmares, and I don’t know how to make them stop…” Vanessa paused for a second, glancing over at Moon. “I was hoping that… maybe you had some advice?”

“I assume these nightmares are mostly about… Her?” Moon asked after a brief pause.

Vanessa flinched as Moon mentioned Vanny. After spending the next few seconds in silence, she took a deep breath, trying to give herself the strength to continue talking.

“Yeah... they are…” Vanessa mumbled, her voice barely audible and her words forced. “You can probably guess what she does in them…”

“Yes… I believe I can…” Moon’s voice trailed off as he stared blankly at the space in front of him, remembering small pieces of what happened, of what he saw, when Vanny still roamed the Pizzaplex. He quickly shook his head, focusing his attention back on the current situation before he could think about it any further.

“I know they’re just nightmares…” Vanessa continued, staring at the floor, and picking at the fabric of her shirt sleeve. “I know they’re not real… I know they’re not going to happen… but they still really scare me.” She sighed wearily, glancing over at Moon as she continued. “I just want them to stop…”

Moon remained silent for a moment, tilting his head and tapping his fingers on the counter over the security desk, lost in thought.

“Unfortunately, given the reason behind your nightmares, I don’t have any advice to give to make them disappear…” Moon paused briefly before waving a hand towards Vanessa. “However, I do know of a few tricks that might help you until they fade away.” He leaned against the counter as he continued, glancing around the room. “There’s a few things that I do here with the kids that I would recommend.”

“Alright. I’m willing to try just about anything at this point…” Vanessa mumbled as she shrugged and turned to face Moon.

“One of the main things I’d recommend is trying to stick to a routine. At the daycare, we try to get everyone to sleep at the same time each day. Getting into a comfortable routine can help you get a more peaceful rest.” Moon quietly tapped his fingers on the counter as he continued. “Another important thing is to make the space feel safe and comfortable. And, while I know you are not a child, I’d recommend trying a nightlight.” 

Despite her best efforts to hold it back, Vanessa couldn't help but chuckle and crack a smile at Moon’s suggestion. Moon paused, lifting his hand off the countertop before he froze. A few seconds of silence passed before Moon let out a quiet chuckle and began to gently tap on the counter once again.

“I know it may sound silly, but I’m serious.” Moon assured, turning to face Vanessa. “Being able to see and identify your surroundings can help you stay calm as you fall asleep, and could make it easier to calm down if you wake up during the night.”

After a brief silence, Vanessa sighed tiredly. She rubbed her hand against her arm for a moment as she thought, before a soft smile crossed her face.

“I guess it’s worth a shot…” Vanessa said, her voice quiet yet hopeful.

“Trust me, Vanessa. It will help.” Moon reassured her.

"Thanks for the advice, Moon. I really appreciate your help." Vanessa replied, smiling gratefully at the jester. Moon bowed gracefully in response.

They stood in silence for a few moments, with the music playing faintly over the daycare speakers being the only sound they could hear. After a little while, Vanessa let out a tired sigh, breaking the silence, as she checked the time.

"Well, I should probably go and check in on Gregory and Freddy." She paused for a moment. “Thanks again, Moon. I guess I’ll see you later.” She made her way towards the door, but she paused at the door when Moon spoke.

“Wait a second, Vanessa.” Moon called, tilting his head slightly for a moment. "Sun and I would like to know if we could accompany you. We haven't seen the little starspot in a while."

Vanessa turned back to look at Moon, a look of mild surprise on her face for a brief moment, before she smiled and gave a quick shrug.

"Sure, I don’t see why not." She waved Moon over, motioning for him to follow her, before she opened the daycare doors.

They made their way over to Freddy’s green room, where they found Freddy and Gregory sitting on the floor, drawing with some markers they had found. There were papers scattered about, most of them blank, but a few were covered in beautifully colored drawings. As soon as Freddy and Gregory noticed Vanessa and Moon standing at the doorway, they gleefully invited them both in to join them. They all gathered in the room and sat together, drawing and talking for a while.

When Vanessa finally paused to check the time, she was shocked at how late it was. She waited for a pause in the conversation before she stood up.

“I’m really sorry to cut this short, guys, but we should probably get going.” She waved to Gregory, motioning for him to get up. Gregory huffed and stood up, crossing his arms in defiance.

“Aw, c’mon! It’s not even a school night!” Gregory protested.

“I know, kiddo. But it’s getting late, and we really need to get you used to a normal sleep schedule, especially since you’re in school.” Vanessa said as she gently tousled his hair.

Gregory grumbled irritatedly, swatting Vanessa’s hand away. He looked over to Freddy and Moon, trying to get them to take his side. They glanced at each other for a moment in silence.

“Vanessa does have a point, starshine.” Moon stood up and faced Gregory. “You need to get enough sleep.”

Gregory huffed disappointedly as he looked towards Freddy. Freddy hesitated for a moment, before he let out a sigh.

“I have to agree with them, superstar.” Freddy said reluctantly, pausing for a moment before he stood up and walked over to Gregory. “We had a lot of fun today! But now it is getting late, and you should get some sleep.”

“... Fine.” Gregory huffed. “Can we play tomorrow?”

“Of course!” Freddy assured, wiggling his ears happily, before he froze for a moment. “As long as it is okay with Vanessa, that is.” Freddy turned towards Vanessa.

“Yeah, sure!” Vanessa smiled and nodded. She walked over to the door, Gregory trailing close behind her. “We’ll see you guys tomorrow, then.”

After they had all said goodbye, Vanessa and Gregory began the journey back home. After driving for a bit, they stopped by the store to pick up some groceries. They wandered the isles for a bit, picking out things they needed before walking towards the checkout to leave. Before they made it to the checkout, Vanessa noticed something on one of the shelves that caught her eye.

She slowly approached the shelf, picking up the item that caught her interest. It was a nightlight that had been made to look like an old lantern. Vanessa continued to stare at it, unable to shake the feeling that there was something remarkably familiar about it. In a strange way, it was a comforting sight.

Gregory turned to look at Vanessa, confused.

“What’re you-” He stopped as he spotted the lantern. He stared at it for a moment before he recognized it. “That looks a lot like the lantern the princess had in that Princess Quest game…”

“Really?” Vanessa muttered, turning it over in her hands as she continued to stare at it. “No wonder it looks familiar…” She paused for a second before slowly walking over and silently putting it in the cart.

“I didn’t know adults needed nightlights…” Gregory glanced at the light, then looked back at Vanessa.

“I didn’t either, kiddo.” Vanessa smiled. She tilted her head, gesturing towards the exit. “Come on, let’s get going.”

They quickly checked out and got back on the road, finally heading back home. Once they got home, they put everything away and got ready for bed, both of them very tired after a long day. Before Vanessa went to bed, she set up the nightlight on her bedside table. The soft, dim glow was comforting, and as she closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep, she smiled.

-------

Freddy

Vanessa meandered anxiously through the various display cases in Rockstar Row, muttering and murmuring to herself as she tried to calm her nerves. After a moment had passed, she took a deep breath and walked over to the door to Freddy’s room. She hesitated in front of the door for a moment before knocking on it gently. She heard heavy footsteps on the other side of the door for a second, before the door slid open to reveal Freddy’s happy face waiting to greet her.

“Hello, Vanessa! It is good to see you!” Freddy exclaimed gleefully.

“Hey, Freddy.” Vanessa smiled slightly, trying to hide her anxiety. “Can I come in?”

“Of course!” Freddy said as he stepped out of the way to let Vanessa into his room.

“Thank you.” Vanessa wandered around the room for a second before turning to face Freddy. “So, how’re you doing? How was your day?”

“I am doing quite well! Today was a wonderful day.” Freddy said, cheerfully wiggling his ears. “How was your day today, Vanessa?”

“My day was… okay.” She hesitantly said as she glanced at Freddy. Freddy froze for a moment as he picked up on Vanessa’s nervous tone.

“Is something wrong?” Freddy asked, concerned.

“No, it’s just… I’ve got a lot on my mind right now, and…” Vanessa paused and sighed, raising her hand to rub the back of her neck for a moment before she continued. “Can… Can I talk to you about something? Something… kind of important?”

“Yes, of course.” Freddy walked over to the couch on the other end of the room and sat down, gesturing for Vanessa to sit on the couch as well. “What is it you want to talk about?”

“Well…” Vanessa let out a sigh as she sat down on the other end of the couch, staring off into space for a moment. “It’s about Gregory…” She paused for a second before glancing over at Freddy. “Do you think I’m doing a good job? You know, with this whole parenting thing?” she asked hesitantly, her voice quiet.

“What do you mean?” Freddy looked at Vanessa, a somewhat confused look on his face.

“This is all so new to me, and I’m so worried that maybe I’m doing something wrong, and I just can’t see it yet…” Vanessa closed her eyes and put her head in her hands. “What if I mess it up? What if…” She paused, her voice lowering to a whisper. “What if he hates me?”

Freddy froze, stunned by Vanessa’s words. He remained silent for a minute, stuck on her words, before he let out a sigh and gently placed a hand on Vanessa’s shoulder, trying to comfort her.

“You should not worry so much, Vanessa.” Freddy said, his voice quiet and sincere. “I promise, Gregory does not hate you.”

“How can you be so sure?” Vanessa mumbled.

“Gregory has never once said a negative word against you. He looks up to you, and he trusts you.” Freddy paused for a moment, letting out a quiet, halfhearted chuckle. “Besides, we both know that there is nothing that could make him stay if he did not want to.” He looked over to Vanessa. “Trust me, Vanessa. He is happy with you.”

“I guess you’re right…” Vanessa sighed. “Still… Do you think there’s anything that I could be doing better?” She paused, propping up her head with her hands. “I feel like I’m out of my depth here, and I just really don’t want to mess anything up…”

Freddy stayed silent for a moment, tilting his head slightly and holding his chin, his gaze wandering around the room as he thought.

“I think you are doing a great job, Vanessa!” Freddy said cheerfully after a second.

“You really think so?” Vanessa replied hesitantly, her tone somewhat skeptical.

“Of course! I have seen how well you take care of him, and you have not done anything that would cause me to be concerned.” Freddy paused for a second, looking back over at Vanessa. “You make sure all of his needs are met, you make sure he is comfortable and happy, and you are kind, calm, and patient, even when it may be difficult.”

Vanessa smiled at Freddy as he continued to talk, trying his best to help relieve her anxiety.

“It is evident that you care a great deal about Gregory, and that he cares about you as well. I could not think of anyone better to be watching over my superstar!” Freddy said proudly, giving a nod of approval in Vanessa’s direction.

Vanessa remained motionless for a moment, seemingly stunned. She could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes, making the world around her appear shaky and out of focus. She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve.

“Thank you, Freddy. That… that really means a lot coming from you…” Vanessa looked over and smiled at Freddy.

“You are welcome, Vanessa.” Freddy paused, giving Vanessa some time as she tried to regain her composure. “Out of curiosity, why are you so worried about this all of a sudden?” He tilted his head, curious and slightly confused.

Vanessa hesitated for a moment.

“I-I want to try and adopt Gregory properly…” Vanessa said anxiously. “Up until now I’ve just been fostering him, but I’ve been working through the adoption process, and there’s only a few steps left to go.”

“That is great news, Vanessa!” Freddy exclaimed loudly, excitedly jumping out of his seat.

“Yeah, it is.” Vanessa chuckled, pausing for a second before letting out a sigh. “I want to ask Gregory if he’s okay with it first. I want his permission beforehand because he should have a say in this. I’ve just been really nervous about asking him.” She hesitated, her gaze falling to the floor as she continued. “I’m just worried that… maybe I’m not ‘good enough’...” She muttered to herself, failing to hide the concern in her voice.

“As I have said before, you should not worry so much. You are not inadequate, Vanessa.” Freddy said, his voice calm and sincere as he spoke. “You have been doing a great job looking after Gregory so far, and I see no reason why that would change.” He paused for a second. “And I am sure Gregory will be more than happy to give you his permission for this! I cannot wait for him to hear about it!”

Vanessa smiled.

“Honestly, I can’t wait, either.”

 -------

Epilogue

The West Arcade was filled with the sounds of hundreds of different arcade machines, all beeping and playing music from various different games. The blinking lights and screens and vibrant neon lights painted the darkened space with brilliant colors that danced across the walls. The music emanating from the dance floor carried through the upper levels of the arcade, eventually finding its way to where Gregory and the animatronics were playing games.

“That music is so distracting! Can’t he turn it down just for a little bit?!” Gregory growled, focusing intensely on the game he was playing.

“C’mon, kid, the DJ’s just doing his job.” Monty said calmly, peering over Gregory’s shoulder as he played.

Gregory pressed several buttons in rapid succession, grumbling irritatedly under his breath as he focused on the game. Then, his face lit up as the machine played a triumphant tune, the words “YOU WIN!” and “HIGH SCORE!” flashing across the screen.

“Sweet, high score!” Gregory cheered, throwing his hands up in the air in celebration.

“Nice work, kid!” Monty let out an enthusiastic laugh as he pumped his fist in the air. “You’ve got some serious skill, little dude!” He said as he gently ruffled Gregory’s hair.

“Hey, c’mon, knock it off!” Gregory chuckled as he pushed Monty’s hand away. He shook his head to fix his hair before looking back at the arcade machine. When he looked back at the machine, his smile disappeared. “Aw, man!” He picked up the small strip of tickets, looking at them disappointedly. “Only 10 tickets?! I spent over an hour trying to get that high score…” He huffed, crossing his arms and looking down at the floor.

Monty paused for a moment, silent. Then, he carefully lifted his glasses, glanced around, and gently nudged Gregory’s shoulder.

“Hey, wanna see something cool?” Monty asked, trying his best to keep his voice quiet.

Gregory looked up at Monty and nodded, his disappointment melting away into curiosity. Monty waved Gregory out of the way, before cautiously looking around once more. Then, when he felt the coast was clear, he stepped up to the machine, and gave it a light kick. As if by magic, the machine started spitting out long strips of tickets, which started folding into large stacks as they hit the floor.

“Awesome!” Gregory quickly pulled his backpack off of his shoulders, immediately stuffing fistfuls of tickets into the pockets of the bag.

“Just don’t tell Fazbear.” Monty chuckled.

“Don’t tell him what?” Roxy asked as she rounded the corner of the row of arcade machines.

Monty whipped around and looked over at Roxy, somewhat startled. Roxy stared at him for a moment before glancing down at Gregory, who was busy piling the last of the tickets into his bag. Roxy looked back up at Monty for a moment, a mischievous look in her eye.

“You really think that’s the best way to get a lot of tickets?” Roxy laughed, resting a hand on her hip. Monty and Gregory glanced at each other, confused, before looking back at Roxy and nodding. Roxy chuckled, seemingly amused by their response.

“Come on, I’ll show you the REAL best way to get a bunch of free tickets!” Roxy said, waving for Monty and Gregory to follow before she ran off, disappearing behind several rows of arcade machines.

“Hey, wait up!” Gregory took off after Roxy, Monty trailing close behind him as they navigated their way through the labyrinth of flashing screens.

Vanessa and Luis laughed, able to observe the ensuing chaos from their small seating area tucked away from the arcade.

“They’re sure having fun, aren’t they?” Luis laughed, looking over at Vanessa.

“Oh yeah, definitely.” Vanessa laughed, grabbing a slice of pizza from the open box on the table in front of her. “Monty always sneaks Gregory a bunch of tokens. They’d probably play all night if we let them.”

Suddenly, they heard a loud crash from the back of the room, quickly followed by Monty yelling “SCATTER!” as Freddy peaked his head up over the rows of machines and began to run over to the source of the noise. Luis and Vanessa erupted with laughter, amused by the pandemonium and the sound of heavy footsteps and Gregory’s mischievous laughter sprinting away from the scene.

“Those two are quite the pair of rascals!” Luis said, fighting to get his words out between small fits of laughter.

“Oh, you don’t have to tell me that.” Vanessa chuckled, taking a bite out of her slice of pizza before continuing. “Just yesterday, I caught them using that old windup music man prototype to terrorize the staffbots and wet floor sign bots. Chica and I spent over an hour trying to catch it before it disappeared into the vents.”

“That definitely sounds like something they’d do.” Luis chuckled.

“Did I hear my name?” Chica said as she popped up behind Luis, startling him and causing him to nearly spill his drink.

“Hey, Chica. Sorry, I was just telling Luis about what happened yesterday.” Vanessa grinned, holding back a laugh as she watched Luis carefully place his drink down on the table and pick up a napkin to wipe the soda off of his hand.

“Oh, yes. I had Monty and Gregory apologize, but some of the bots are still a bit upset about that…” Chica said, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

“We could have them apologize again if you think that would help.” Vanessa suggested.

“No, I think it would be better to give the bots some time first.” Chica sighed. Then, she gasped, putting her hands up to her face in shock. “Oh no, I forgot about the cupcakes I left in the oven!” She darted off towards the kitchen, quietly scolding herself for forgetting.

“And there she goes.” Luis said. “She really seems to care about those bots, huh?”

“Yeah, she really does.” Vanessa set down her half-eaten slice of pizza on her plate on the table. “She treats them like siblings, really.”

“Well, that’s nice of her.” Luis said, reaching towards the pizza box on the table before hesitating when he realized there was only one slice left. “Do you want any more pizza, or is it okay if I have the last slice?”

“Go ahead, I’m good.” Vanessa shrugged.

“Cool.” Luis grabbed the last slice of pizza and promptly took a big bite. “You know, I really did enjoy going to the movies with you. It was a lot of fun.” He paused, taking another bite. “But here we can get cheap pizza and free drink refills. You can’t get that at the theater.”

“You gotta love the former employee perks.” Vanessa chuckled. “If you consider pizza this greasy a perk, that is.” She remarked as she pointed out the thick ring of grease soaking into the cardboard of the pizza box.

“Hey, I consider any pizza a perk.” Luis said before quickly finishing his slice of pizza and drinking the rest of his soda. “Speaking of those free drink refills…” He stood up and shook his empty cup. “Be right back, alright?”

Vanessa nodded. As Luis left to refill his drink, Vanessa noticed a blur of movement out of the corner of her eye.

“You know, I could just get you some fresh pizza so you don’t have to take what’s left of mine.” Vanessa said, grinning as she faced Gregory, who had already almost finished the uneaten pizza that had been on her plate. He froze for a moment, staring wide-eyed like a deer caught in the headlights, before quickly stuffing what was left of the pizza into his mouth.

“No, it’s fine.” Gregory replied, wiping the crumbs from his face with the back of his hand. “Thanks, though.” He smiled and ran off, venturing back into the maze-like arcade. Vanessa chuckled and shook her head slightly.

After a few moments, Luis finally reappeared and sat back down next to Vanessa. They talked for a little while, the noise and music of the arcade slowly fading into the background, before Chica grabbed their attention, prancing gleefully towards them with a small platter of colorful and carefully decorated cupcakes.

“I’m back! And I didn’t burn them!” Chica happily chirped as she walked up to Vanessa and Luis. “This is the first batch I’ve made on my own, so I’m not sure how they’ll taste… But you’re more than welcome to try one if you want!” She held the tray out towards them.

“They look wonderful, Chica!” Vanessa complimented, standing up and carefully selecting a cupcake from the tray.

“And they smell great!” Luis added, standing to grab a cupcake as well.

As they both took a bite out of their cupcakes, a loud cheer erupted from the arcade. They looked over to see Monty lifting Gregory onto Freddy’s shoulders. Gregory clutched stacks of tickets in his raised fists and had even more ticket strips draped over his shoulders. Freddy paraded Gregory around the room in celebration, with Roxy and Monty marching close behind him, still cheering along with Gregory. They eventually made their way over to the others, marching in time with the music echoing from downstairs.

“Hey, kiddo. What’re we celebrating?” Vanessa asked, walking over and looking up at Gregory.

“I finally finished the toughest game in the arcade! I’ve been trying to beat it for weeks and I finally did it!” Gregory exclaimed excitedly, shaking the tickets in his hands.

“That’s awesome! Good job!” Vanessa said, giving Gregory a high-five.

“Would you like a celebratory cupcake?” Chica asked cheerfully, holding the cupcakes up so Gregory could take one.

“Yeah!” Gregory grabbed a cupcake, quickly stuffing it into his mouth, smearing frosting on his face in the process. “Awesome! Thanks, Chica!” He turned towards Vanessa and Luis as he wiped the frosting off his face. “We’re going over to Fazerblast to play a few rounds if you guys want to come with us!”

“It would be more fun if you all joined us!” Freddy added eagerly.

“What do you say, Luis? Want to play some Fazerblast?” Vanessa playfully nudged Luis.

“Yeah, sounds like fun!” Luis said.

“Awesome! You guys can be on mine and Freddy’s team! Come on, let’s go!” Gregory shoved the tickets in his hands into his backpack before excitedly drumming his hands against the top of Freddy’s head.

“This will be fun!” Freddy exclaimed as he turned towards the exit.

“I’ll race you there!” Roxy challenged the others, pushing past Freddy as she ran ahead.

“Hey, that’s not fair! Wait up!” Monty growled before sprinting after her, Chica tailing close behind him.

Vanessa and Luis lagged behind Freddy as he walked towards the exit. As they walked side by side, Vanessa blankly looked around her, lost in thought. She thought about how much things had changed over the past year.

After being freed from Vanny, Vanessa thought she could never be like her old self again. And yet, with a little help from some new friends and some hard work, things were finally starting to get better. She had done so many things she never thought would have been possible, and she had a whole family behind her to help her along the way.

“Ness? Everything okay over there?” Luis joked. When Vanessa didn’t answer, he looked over at her, slightly concerned. “Vanessa?” He paused for a moment. “You doing okay?”

Vanessa looked over at Luis, smiling softly.

“Yeah, I’m doing okay.” Vanessa let out a gentle sigh as she continued to walk. “Just thinking about how grateful I am for you and the others.” She reached out towards Luis and gently grabbed his hand. They both smiled at each other as they continued to walk towards Fazerblast to join the others, looking forward to the bright future ahead.

[lara-prism-light]

I may end up bringing back Celestial Attendants, a fnaf au focused on Sun and Moon (in addition to having a very different lore and story from the canon because fuck the canon!)

I thought about making a comic but I'm going to go with the original idea of ​​making it a fic because that way I procrastinate less TwT

I will occasionally do sketches and art related to this fic, but I already have an idea of ​​how I want to make the human characters (as Vannesa, Gregory and Cassie are not the only humans in the story)

So if any of you have questions related to this, just ask and I will answer to the best of my ability.

[peiro-usagi-art]

Equal Parts - Chapter 1 - The man underground

"You're standing there gawking up at a gigantic and imposing building, a neon sign glows faintly in the morning light as you stare in both awe and fear, eyes scanning over the colourful animal characters on the sign that sits front and centre above the ridiculously large doors of ‘freddy fazbear’s mega-pizza plex’ you can't help but be thankful that it seems to be closed today so at the very least you aren't embarrassing yourself in front of the general public. You scan over the silly looking characters one more time hoping to calm your nerves. Ah. Mission failed. Oh well."

[the-spacetronaut]

If bonnie keeps bullying us I’m gonna give him a big fat juicy kiss

"no balls." - bonnie probably

[raccoonxiety]

It was supposed to be a doodle-

anyway, read "Alexa, play Heather by Conan" on ao3 by @eleanmerr !

It's amazing and gut wrenching <3

[astarryeclipse]

next chapter is out

[arcadesandtears]

Hi Tumblr!! Figured I'd make an account for my fanfics. Here's one of my newest projects (which I posted not too long ago). I'm still not entirely sure how this app works so... Oops.

Basic summary: After the events of Security Breach, the aftermath left considerable damage to the animatronics. However, as staff spares no time to repair the Glamrocks, Sun and Moon seem to have a code malfunction. Moon is stuck taking control of their endoskeleton and Sun seems locked away from ever emerging.

Please check it out and let me know what you guys think. Thanks!!

[alynwrench]

moppaf shitpost teehee

[circuscraz]

Guess who is going to write a fic on the new funky rabbit thing. Me! 

Idk what we are calling it yet. Not a fan of pegtrap honestly so I am going with M.X.E.S so far. Would love a name related to coding though. 

Maybe Proxy would work? Idk.

[bun-z-bakery]

≡;- ꒰𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑐𝘰𝑚𝑒 𝛨𝘰𝑚𝑒!꒱

CW: pstd

A/N: Happy Birthday to our favorite girl Vanessa! A fluffy piece to end off my contribution for Vanessa's birthday bash! enjoy! ♡ Prompts I used "Birthday party, baking, hugging". by @vanessaverse-official

Fnaf menu | Works Menu | Ao3

"You'll sleep here!" Abby exclaimed as she motioned towards her bed, making Vanessa giggle.

"Abby has been preparing for weeks," Mike added, making Vanessa smile at his little sister.

"That's very sweet of you, Abby. It'll only be for a few days," Vanessa said as Mike carefully helped her to bed. "Is there anything you—"

"Take him!" Abby offered Vanessa one of her plushies, cutting off Mike in the process.

"Abbs..."

"I just want her to feel comfortable..." Abby replied.

Vanessa enjoyed seeing the siblings' interactions, especially how much they relied on each other. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of the silly arguments they'd often have.

"Okay, you two," Vanessa said, gaining their attention. She reached out for Abby's plushie and held it in her arms.

"Thank you, Abby."

Abby hummed in response to Vanessa's gratitude. "I would love to keep this going, but I'm super tired."

"Right! We should leave ya then," Mike replied as he motioned for Abby to follow him. "Call us if you need anything!" Abby called out as they both left Vanessa to herself. Vanessa stared up at the ceiling, holding the plushie closer to her as the tears she’d been holding in now ran down her face. Even after everything, she was happy to know they still wanted her around. She drifted off to sleep with a soft smile.

"You're on cake duty!" Abby whispered as she dragged the bag of decorations that had been hidden in Mike's room. She grinned as he grabbed the box of cake mix, holding it up to read the directions. "Can't go wrong with chocolate, right?"

"Everyone loves chocolate!" Abby replied, easing her worried brother's mind a bit. Mike volunteered to take care of Vanessa once she woke up; in his mind, she didn't deserve to be alone, especially after how close the three had become.

"Right, yeah. I'm sure she'll love it." Mike smiled at Abby before they both started working on their tasks.

A few hours passed by. The siblings admired their work, high-fiving each other, satisfied with what they'd done.

"I'll go get her!" Abby whispered to Mike as she ran off, leaving Mike to add the finishing touches to the cake.

Abby knocked softly on Vanessa's door, careful not to scare her out of her sleep. "Vanessa?" she opened the door and quietly entered.

"Vanessaaaa~" Abby lightly poked her cheek, making Vanessa giggle at the small finger that woke her. "How long was I out for?" Vanessa yawned as she carefully stretched until she felt a satisfying pop in her body.

"Well, it's dinner time! Wanna join us?" Abby was practically bouncing where she stood. She knew Vanessa wouldn't say no to her, yet the suspense made her anxious.

"Of course, let's see what Mike made."

Abby took Vanessa's hand, eager but still gentle with the recovering blonde. "Come on!"

"Abby, I’m walking as fast as I can!" Vanessa giggled at the little girl's excitement. "Okay, let—" Vanessa gasped once she lifted her head, looking around at the decorations that covered the living room and the dining area.

"Guys, you didn't..."

"After finding out you'd be leaving the hospital on your birthday, we knew we had to make it special," Mike said before he blew a party horn, earning a laugh from both girls who now sat at the dinner table.

"There's cake!" Vanessa exclaimed through her tears, admiring the roughly decorated chocolate cake with a candle in the center.

"Happy birthday, Vanessa! Make a wish!" Abby exclaimed as she gently hugged Vanessa’s side before Mike made his way to her other side, giving her another gentle hug.

"Happy birthday, and welcome home," he added as Vanessa closed her eyes. For once, she realized she had found something she’d been searching for.

She blew out the candle and hugged them both.

"What did you wish for?" Abby asked, her cheerful expression contagious.

"It won't come true if she tells you, Abby," Mike added, making Abby pout.

"I didn't wish for anything," Vanessa's voice cracked as she wiped away a tear. The siblings looked at her, confused.

"Why not?" Abby asked with slight disappointment in her voice.

Vanessa smiled at her as she gently pinched Abby's cheek, making them both giggle. "Because my wish already came true," Vanessa responded, doing her best to keep her composure. She couldn't be happier with the little family she's now a part of.