Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

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[ Please note that this and the first chapter were copied over from my Quotev. ]

Life had been sO absurdly busy, but hEy-

I'm back and have motivation for a short story-

It'll be a tad bit different than anything I've really done, as it's more a FNAF AU than anything-

The concepts used in this story mainly consist of stupid made-up words created by yours truly, and a full woRld my midnight brain had conjured up-

All in all, it's gonna be something like a half-original-half-noT story here, seeing as .. well, it's still FNAF, just with my little spiN on things-

Few warnings / heads up :

This will be rated mature ( not selecting the option, because it's nothing all tOo bad- ) for darker themes and some scenes that may be a bit sensitive to some, so .. readers be waRned. But, I'll also put a warning if the chapter consists of something some readers may not like, so don't worry too much-
The concepts (and some words) in this story are thought up by me and have their own meanings in this context. So, if a word or something, for example, is unintentionally a word of your language or something, just know I literally just combined random letters together to create something of my own meaning- :''p

But if, by some chance a word I keyboard-smashed does translate to something offensive or something, feel free to let me know and I'll change it-

Pretty much putting this here just in case, because I really only know English- (and perhaps a percent of some other languages thanks to people I know irl with said other languages-)

Constructive criticism and feedback is always welcome. Just, remember to not be too harsh to the point of just being cruel, because yes, I already know I suck-

Life's really busy and a bit difficult to deal with, especially lately, so juggling life, personal matters, motovation, and my online presence is a biT difficult. So, there's no update schedule here-

The chapters will *probably* be somewhere between 2-3,000 words each, as my brain will probably exploDe otherwise-
The last book that I'd written over 5,000 words or whatever (can't remember, can't bother to check-) absolutely kiLled me- :'D

This is an AU, and is not canon in any way. So, please don't start anything about lOre and whatnot-

Be sure to enjOy- : )
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Chapter Text

Tick . .  tick .. tick ...

That incessant noise was one of the only audible things resonating through the oppressive silence. Aside from the usual ambient clicks and whirring of servos and such.

Why did the Parts and Service need a clock anyway? So the stupid flesh-bags had some way to time how fast they could steal parts? The animatronics there could care less about why they put one in there, really.

Except for Bonnie, of course. The ticking was grating on already-frayed nerves here. Hence the eventual, "Can som-omeone just punch that thing??"

That snapping everyone else present in the room from their separate thoughts, there was sooner a gruffer, "Do it yerself if'n ye wan' it punched."

A pair of red pinpricks flickered over to the vulpine's direction, brightening in what could have been agitation. "I would, if-if I was eve-ven able to se-see it in the fir-irst place, mu-mutt!"

"Sounds-s li' a 'ye' problem, lad," came the unbothered scoff.

Before Bonnie could snap back, a garbled expulsion of air from the right of him cut him off, followed by a partly-weary-partly-exasperated, "We ge-ge-get it. Can we-e go thr-r-ree seconds without fin-inding something us-use-se-seless to fight about?"

Bonnie's response was just to throw his hand up in frustration.

However, before any retort could be created, there was a small knock on the door, before is slid open just enough for a head to pop into the room. And to Bonnie, he couldn't see a thing, but just by the manner of it, he could hazard a guess on who it was.

And of course he was proven right by a, "You guys can come out now. The humans left."

The wimp. Better known as the successor for Freddy Fazbear himself. Kind of a disappointment considering this was supposed to be the same animatronic that was the face of this place.

Although, before anything else could occur, the russet male emerged from the darker shadows to shove past the Toy animatronic.

Toy Freddy seemed a tad bit flustered by this, just by the way Bonnie heard him brushing himself free of dust before muttering a rather meek goodbye and leaving.

Coward.

But not like Bonnie was passing up any chance to get away from this coffin of a room, so with a slight shove to the wall behind him, he forced himself to his feet and started off.

Sure, he did end up somewhat tripping over the older bear's outstretched leg, earning a lower growl in return, but hey! At least the ursine didn't react with a kick or something. For someone whose legs hardly worked, Bonnie had no clue a kick to the knee from the latter could hurt like it did.

After having stepped through the doorway, he was immediately assulted by the brighter lighting outside. Sheesh .. it was like this place didn't know what afterhours meant. But what could he do? See the manager and knock some sense into the meat-bag? Yeah, right.

So, he could only raise his his hand to shield the pitiful excuse of eyes he still had. Like his other three bandmates, light wasn't too appreciated by the optical sensors and whatnot, after all. Not that it helped any. Besides, he could hardly see a few centimeters in front of him anyway.

Though once reaching the game room, he flinched at Foxy's voice suddenly coming up from behind with a plain utterance of, "Pla-layin' games now? Tha' be a new-w low."

Turning to glare at him – though it was more just an emotionless look, as .. lack of face – with a faint shift to his endo-jaw as if subconsciously trying to clench it, he then retored with a, "And what are yo-ou doing? Definitely nothing better-ter than me if you're tal-alk-lking to this ugly mug. ... wait-"

A sudden shift in energy cut off his genius punchline as the lights suddenly snapped and dimmed to pure darkness. Both flinched and snapped their attention skywards, as if that'd give them the answer, before lowering them to each other, Foxy's baffled expression speaking enough for the both of them.

"... Wha' .. was tha'—?"

Bonnie had shrugged at the first syllable, having known exactly what the latter was about to ask. But he wasn't able to do more. 

Before Foxy could even finish his question – that of which being completely valid for once in all his years – a sudden surge of foreign energy shot through Bonnie's systems. Harmful? Was Foxy also affected? Bonnie didn't know any of that. For a second, he almost even forgot who and where he was, before everything just flashed and went dark. Like an old TV being unplugged. No fanfare, no pain like other electrical shocks came with.

Just a sudden odd tingling sensation before everything cut out. No signal remaining.

And when Bonnie woke up, it was with the most Godawful spinning sensation of his entire existence. He somewhat acknowledged himself acting without any conscious thought; just trying to sit up on autopilot with a glitchy groan before swaying and dropping back down. Rather heavily with a dull thunk of the back of his head meeting the ground.

With a sharper flicker of his optical sensors, those reset and came back online. Not that he saw anything but glitched imaged swimming right in front of him. Nothing new there.

But somehow, someway, something seemed different .. off. Like something wasn't quite right here.

He soon got affirmation that he wasn't hallucinating or something from that weird power surge when a sudden voice shrieked way too loud for his aching .. everything to really tolerate, "Where am I!?"

That was swiftly followed by the now-recognizable nasally voice adding to that a way-too-dismayed, "It's disgusting here!"

Oh, great. The overpolished blueberry. Anyone else he couldn't stand?

A few seconds after Bonnie managed to sit up, he also caught Freddy and a few others also stirring, the former languidly sitting up with a groaned, "G-g-go-o– frri-fried ..."

After getting his bearings a tad more, Bonnie didn't find anything even close to familiar. Gone were the checkered floors and colorful walls of the pizzeria. Instead, they were surrounded by towering trees, their branches twisting ominously overhead. The air was thick and heavy, carrying an unsettling sense he couldn't quite place. Dark mist clung to seemingly-rotted ground.

"Where .. where are we?" Toy Freddy eventually asked, having stood to get a better view of the surroundings. Not that it made much difference.

Besides. No one here knew the answer to that. So, rather than dignifying that with an answer, Freddy had just used the tree at his side to stand, muttering a terse, "No idea. But sitt-it– he-ere wai-aitin' to rus-ust ain– ddoi-oin' noth-othin'," but, Bonnie had sensed a hint of .. trepidation in his voice? Heh .. Mr. Stoic-Teddy-Bear his face ...

But since sitting around really wasn't doing anything, the rest really had no choice but to follow.

This place really felt off in a way. Heavy. Oppressive. Like something wasn't right, and every self-preservation instinct was set to 100.

Eventually, Chica fell into step beside Bonnie to ask, "Yo-ou have any clue wha-a-at this pla-lace is? Or wha-at could have happened?"

The only answer Bonnie voiced was a flat, "Must ha-have left that-at knowledge with my fa-ace."

Chica could only spare him the equivalent to a glare before a sudden rustling from .. everywhere made everyone stop.

While most gave a visual sweep of the area in attempt to find anything, it was Toy Chica that suddenly pressed closer to the others with a, "Uh .. guys? What's that?"

When all glances followed her own, they were met with the sight of some .. thing. There, nestled between the gnarled roots of a massive tree, was... something. It looked like a mushroom, but larger and semi-transparent. Black smoke seemed to rise from its cap.

But most baffling was the fact this thing .. spoke? In a low, gravelly hiss that just consisted of the words, "Zha'kir ... Void spawned new playthings." a small titter. "They best beware of Umbral Shades. Vile creatures of Nox'ura."

Bonnie and Chica exchanged a baffled glance, along with some of the others. Finally, Toy Freddy managed a weak, "... What?"

An odd sound emanated from the being. "Zha'kir speaks. Perhaps they know Umbral Shades are tricksters of Void as well. Worse than Void Crawlers. Bad creatures, very bad." then, rather abruptly, it just .. faded into black mist, as if it never existed.

Stunned silence. For about half a moment before Toy Bonnie broke that with a shrill, "What in the name of pizza grease was that!?"

No one had an answer. Or, at least .. no one they knew.

Then, almost imperceptibly, Bonnie paused at a very faint 'psst'. He turned his head from that empty spot where that .. thing was to the others. "Did one of yo-you say somethi-something?"

Everyone answered the negative.

"Then who th-the bl-l-lood-ody hell mad-ade that– .." he began, only for everyone to halt at another faint 'hey'. Now that, everyone had definitely heard, and it was certain everyone could agree it sounded .. uncannily like one of them.

After they'd all pressed closer together – out of fear or self-preservation instincts, it wasn't clear – a 'I'm here' followed. And from that same direction.

Just as Bonnie thought of saying something, there was then another whisper. One that sounded suspiciously like 'follow me'. Now, not that he'd ever admit it, but this was definitely causing some subconscious fear to stir deep within the back of his mind, and he didn't like it.

And from what he could tell, the others were experiencing the same thing. Was there an uncanny valley for animatronics? Because this sure seemed like a great deal of proof for a resounding "yes".

Bonnie was tugged from his thoughts by Freddy .. almost reluctantly muttering, "We-e-ell ... itt-t's th-th– first direct-ireccc-ct-irection s-s–meth-thin's come frr-rom." before starting off toward it.

And Toy Freddy – the poor guy looking this close to fainting on the spot – sputtered incoherently at first, unable to find the words – and Bonnie honestly couldn't blame him for once; he didn't even know if there were words to .. do anything here – to really ask what they were all thinking, before breaking off with a sigh that sounded suspiciously like a whimper to Bonnie and trailing after him.

Toy Bonnie, though, somehow did find the words and started to loudly protest, only for Bonnie to slap his hand over the latter's muzzle. After that, Bonnie just hissed, "May-ayybe que-ues-s-sttion our-r fear-earless leader a li-littt-tle quieter? We do-o-on't know what e-e-else is-s ou-u-utt here and potenti-tially se-eeing you-ou as a part-t-ttticularly tantalizing plas-lastic blue-ueberry!"

What? There was an opportunity to insult the preening blue scrap; he wasn't going to just let it go.

Anyway, in short, the others had found nothing else they could do aside from follow those oddly-terrifying whispers. Speaking of, those seemed to grow louder and more insistent the deeper they went.

And they all had to be things that would have made Bonnie's skin crawl if he had the physical capabilities. All things that almost sounded vaguely like "over here" and "here I am" hummed, eerily similar to how one of them would sound. This was followed by low whispers of a similar nature, such as "I'm here," "look at me," and more.

Toy Bonnie's demeanor had faltered slightly since they had set off toward these sounds, beginning to migrate toward hiding behind Toy Chica. "I don't like this," he eventually whispered. "It's like something's trying to lure us."

While Toy Chica had originally would have elbowed him in the nose or something, she had just given a faint nod. And even Foxy, who had been uncharacteristically silent, glared at him in a plain ​​'shut up' manner. But even that couldn't hide the way he did stiffen when his thoughts likely went to that place thanks to a certain stupid plastic.

However, once they reached the spot they thought the sounds had come from, there was nothing there. And the whispers had stopped as well. So the group stopped too, as .. well, there wasn't anything to follow anymore.

Or so they thought, until a glitchy growl emanated from the even darker shadows of the trees. Everyone huddled even closer together, even Freddy. So this was even getting to him. But to follow that noise, a dark, glitchy shape emerged, floating around them with a voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"Intruders in our territory. Everyone knows the Hal'low is Shade territory," it said.

There was then a pause, as if the thing finally saw them properly, followed by a low, manic giggle. "Well, well, it's been eons since we've seen Zha'kir," the glitchy voice continued. "It's been a while since we've had any new playthings. Took long enough for this place to sprout new beings. I was getting tired of the same old Void Crawler or whatever. Haven't you ever been taught some places aren't safe?"

The tone was almost mocking yet dangerous, speaking of things the animatronics had never even heard of. And the voice seemed to be coming from the shadowy wisp itself.

Before Bonnie – or really any of the animatronics – could question this bizarre entity, another shadowy wisp trailed out of the darker places. It seemed to form into a black rabbit that looked oddly similar in body shape to Toy Bonnie, seeming mockingly unamused as it addressed the animatronics in an equally glitchy voice.

"Ignore Shadow's dramatics," the rabbit-shaped being said. "He gets bored."

The apparent 'Shadow' formed from the initial wisp of shadow into a shape vaguely similar to Freddy, but only to glare at the black rabbit.

"I thought I told you to stay out of this until I called you,"

The Toy Bonnie-shaped .. thing just responded with a plain stare that just screamed unamusement.

Foxy, his hook raised defensively, growled, "Who in the seven seas are ye supposed to be?" to interrupt whatever weird .. argument was happening.

The vaguely-Freddy-shaped .. whatever it was' jaws split into an uncanny parody of a grin, revealing a maw full of glowing white teeth. "We're the things that go bump in the night, the whispers in the dark, the–"

"We're Shades," the rabbit-like being interrupted, earning another glare from other .. Shade. "I'm RXQ, and the dramatic one is Shadow."

Toy Freddy, still huddled close to the others, asked timidly, "Were... were you the ones making those noises?"

Shadow's grin turned mischievous. "Maybe we did, maybe you did, but the Hal'low is the culprit," he said cryptically.

Bonnie's endo-jaw twitched in annoyance. "Rig-i-iight, 'cause tha-at clear-clears everything upp," he muttered sarcastically.

RXQ sighed, a sound that seemed odd coming from a being apparently made of shadows. "We were the ones making the noises," he admitted. "It's what we do."

"Are you... ar-arre you th-the 'Umb-b-bbral Shade-Shades' that mushr-ushroom thing talkked about?" Chica asked hesitantly.

Shadow's grin widened even further, if that was possible. "Oh, so you've met a Mistweaver! Chatty little things, aren't they? But yes, we're Umbral Shades, or just Shades if you prefer."

Toy Bonnie managed to find his voice, managing a more bewildered, "Uh ... and how .. how do you .. how do you look like me?"

RXQ seemed to flicker, as if not expecting the question at first. "Shades can take any form we want," he responded, tone suggesting that it should have been obvious.

Shadow nodded, adding, "It's just a part of our charm,"

Toy Freddy shrunk back into his older counterpart as Shadow hovered upside down, going face-to-face with him in an uncomfortably close vicinity. "Uh .. right ..." was really all the bear managed. Poor guy looked like he was seconds from melting into the ground. Bonnie almost pitied him.

Only it would have been kind of funny that Bonnie could hear him shaking from where he was, if Bonnie wasn't admittedly just as scared as him. Seeing as .. what the hell was happening?

"Now," Shadow's voice cut through Bonnie's thoughts. "What are a few Zha'kir like yourselves doing in our territory? It would be such a shame if one of you got caught in a Seeker's beam or something equally entertaining."

"Uh," Toy Chica started, raising a hand slightly. "What's a .. Zha'kir .. ?"

The two Shades stared at her for a second, seeming genuintly baffled, before exchanging glances. Shadow threw his head back and burst into glitchy laughter, sounding decidedly unhinged. "You hear that? Poor Zha'kir don't even know what they are! Oh, next they're going to tell us they don't know what the Void is!"

The glances ranging from mild discomfort to outright confusion exchanged between the animatronics was answer enough.

RXQ gave a slight head tilt. "You really don't know what you are?"

Toy Bonnie chose that moment to puff up indignantly – the much one made of plastic could – with a grunt. "Of course we know what we are, you .. you, oversized ink blot!"

Shadow hovered disconcertingly close to Toy Bonnie's face, and for a second, just for a blink, those glowong white teeth seemed to sharpen to needle-points before reverting back to the blockier shape. "Oh-ho, little Zha'kir has big mouth toward something that can easily corrupt his very life essences. How would he feel to find himself face-to-face with a Gloomhound? Or the Great Nox'ura? I would say us Shades are the least of your worries."

... Oh, great ... more words that sounded like someone just smashed a computer or something and claimed they created a new word.

Toy Bonnie at least lost the dignity to remain indignant, shrinking back behind his older counterpart. "Uh .. 'Gloomhounds' .. ?"

"Oh, nasty creatures, they are. Traveling in packs and never stop hunting."

RXQ came in before Shadow could go on in discussing what could only be described as nightmare fuel with a, "What are Zha'kir doing in the Hal'low anyway? It's known to be dangerous territory."

"We're not–"

Freddy spoke up, cutting Toy Bonnie from potentially angering .. whatever these Shades were. "We-e jj-j–st wo-o-oke he-e-eere. We dd–n't knn-now whe-ere we are."

Before either Shade could respond, Chica somehow found it sensible enough to then ask a bit reluctantly, "You-ou .. wouldn't-ouldn't mind he-elping us-s get bb-back, would you?"

All eyes – or in some cases, lack thereof – turned to her. The avian animatronic looked between everyone before huffing and clicking her endo-jaws. "Wha-at? The-he-eyy seem to bbe our onl-only opti-tion here. Especially-ially if .. wha-a-at the-e-eyy said is- trrue."

Shadow emitted an odd sound that almost seemed akin to a snicker. "Zha'kir trusts Umbral Shades. What a turn this has taken! Even Dreamstalkers know that's a bad idea–"

RXQ silenced him with a hiss-type noise before looking back to the animatronics. "What makes you think we'll take you back to .. wherever you said you came? The Void has just made it to where you think you came from somewhere else. For whatever reason that may be."

"Please!" Toy Chica cut in, almost even desperately. "We really don't know anything about this place, and we want to go home. Please, at least try,"

"We just want you out of our territory, Zha'kir," Shadow snarled lowly. "Don't make us–"

RXQ cut him off, somehow achieving to look thoughtful despite seeming to be made of nothing but shadows. "Wait, Shadow. It's been so long since we've had anything but an occasional Void Crawler or Mistweaver here. Why not have some fun with this? They may prove to provide .. entertainment." Shadow seemed to pause, considering this.

Foxy, meanwhile, had been about to speak up when Freddy clamped his jaws shut and gave a nearly impeccable shake to his head.

This could be their only chance. If they could get these Shades to help them, even if just because they were apparently interesting to these creatures, they may just stand a chance.

They just need to get these .. Shades to agree to this without getting killed or something. And that, was more likely to be the hard part ...

Chapter Text

How did they end up here?

The absurdity of this situation almost made Bonnie want to laugh. Or cry. Or both. Here they were, somehow transported to creator knows where, trying to convince what looked like living shadows to not kill them or something and help them.

"We'll keep you from being caught," RXQ's voice eventually sounded, snapping Bonnie from his spiraling thoughts.

"But," Shadow added. "Don't think this means we're helping you. We just want you out of our territory."

... And that's how they got to this point: following a pair of living shadows that they probably shouldn't trust as far as they could throw them.

"This is madness," Toy Freddy eventually muttered to his older counterpart, who gave a snort as an answer.

"Gott-t an-n-n–– –ett-t-t-tter idea-eas, pll-lasti-ttic?"

Before the younger could find a suitable response, Shadow, who had apparently heard some, if not all, of the conversation, asked, "What's plastic?" as if it was a genuine question.

Almost all eyes turned to the Shades, who were gazing at them with almost genuine confusion. Finally, Toy Bonnie found his words to reply with a baffled, "You're joking, right?"

The twin clueless stares were answer enough.

"It's what we're made of!" Toy Bonnie finally huffed after a few seconds of awkward silence. "You know .. plastic!"

And despite that ... fantastic definition, the two Shades simply exchanged glances, before RXQ snorted and jerked his head, somehow managing to look slightly bewildered. "Zha'kir and their strange words," before the two just continued on.

Foxy, who had been uncharacteristically silent through all this, finally snapped, "Ye bbe ones ta talk! W-whha' d'ye keep c-c-calli-lin' us!?"

Shadow, seemingly unpreturbed at how the pirate had basically snarled that, simply scoffed. "It's what you are. Obviously."

"Bb-b––t wha-aa-at does itt-t mean?" Bonnie pressed, effectively cutting off what would have been a creative word or two from the vulpine.

The pair exchanged another glance, before RXQ finally, albeit reluctantly, said, "It's .. I don't know. I suppose it could roughly translate to 'unknown' or .. well, something. It's hard to explain."

"It's just what we call entities that have no names," Shadow added curtly, swiveling his head this way and that as if scanning the surroundings. "Now we should get going. Lingering in one place for too long is just asking to be found by a Seeker."

"That's the second time you've mentioned a Seeker," Toy Chica started as they continued their little nature walk in a forest that looked like it wanted to eat them. "What is a Seeker?"

RXQ luckily answered before Shadow could give an explanation that would have likely been somehow more traumatizing. "Seekers hunt Shades. Nasty creatures. If we get caught in its beam, we get unmade. That's it. It's done for us."

"Their hunting grounds are pretty much wherever us remaining Shades are," Shadow added on, almost bitterly. "Thanks to them, Shades are a rather rare sight these days. We're one of the only pairs left."

The animatronics exchanged glances. "Pair-airs?" Chica eventually asked.

"Umbral Shades are created in pairs," RXQ explained. "Thanks to that, I'm stuck with this waste of space that likes torturing Dreamstalkers just because he's bored."

"You just don't understand," Shadow retorted. "Dreamstalkers are nuisances!"

"So you risk going into the Mirrormist Fields to waste your time with them?"

"Says Mr. I-can-lure-a-Xal'vorath-without-getting-stuck. I almost got unmade because of that!"

Bonnie watched the argument with growing confusion. "What-tt are-re they tall-l-lkkkin-ing about?" was what he soon whispered to Freddy, who just gave a bemused shake to his head in response. 

"Let's just not bother," Toy Chica muttered, having overheard. "I don't think we'll get any of it."

"Smart Zha'kir," RXQ commented approvingly. "Most creatures waste time trying to understand things beyond their comprehension."

"Hey!" Toy Freddy huffed, puffing up indignantly. "We're not stupid! We just don't speak... whatever language you're butchering!"

Shadow was suddenly right in front of him, making him flinch to a halt. "Zha'kir are ones with the strange language."

Meanwhile, Toy Bonnie, who had been carefully picking his way around puddles of what looked suspiciously like black tar, finally spoke up. "This is absolutely revolting. Do you have any idea what this sludge is doing to my finish? I just had a complete detailing last week!"

Shadow's head swiveled around, those glowing white teeth stretching into a grin. "Oh, little blue Zha'kir is worried about his shiny coating? How precious. Wait until you meet a Thornling—they love pretty things."

RXQ shot his companion what could have been a warning glance. "Shadow—"

Shadow ignored him, inspecting his hand with more attention than necessary. "In fact, you'll probably be the one that attracts unwanted attention to your little pack."

Before Toy Bonnie could sputter an indignant retort, as if on cue, the two Shades suddenly halted, Shadow's mocking demeanor dropping as suddenly as it had come. Dead-stopped. And if they hadn't been hovering above, the newer rabbit would have run into them. Though now under them, he could feel an odd, penetrating cold sensation from the shadowy wisps emanating from them – like standing too close to a freezer that had been left open.

So, he did the reasonable thing and backed away, shaking his head as if trying to dispel the feeling. "What's the big idea? Why'd you stop like that?"

The pair didn't respond immediately, just exchanged glances with a flicker to their forms and something nearly akin to ... terror rippling through their shadowy essence. Both Shades had gone completely still, in a way that reminded Bonnie uncomfortably of how he and the others had learned to freeze when they heard footsteps outside their door during the day.

"Seeker," RXQ finally hissed, the single word dropping like a stone into the oppressive silence.

Before anyone could ask what that meant, RXQ simply ... vanished. Transformed into a wisp no bigger than a coin and melted into the deeper shadows between the gnarled tree roots. Shadow looked as if he meant to follow, his form already beginning to waver and compress, but he was a fraction too slow.

A light brighter than anything the animatronics had ever experienced suddenly blazed through the mist, turning their world into a white-hot nightmare. It was like staring directly into an arc welder – if arc welders could somehow burn through your optical sensors and sear themselves into your very circuits. Every animatronic immediately ducked into the nearby underbrush and attempted to shield their faces ( or lack thereof ), but it was useless. The light seemed to penetrate everything.

Bonnie especially had been screwed. Even when he tried to hide behind Chica, who had been the closest that wouldn't instinctively deck him, it was still like staring straight into the sun.

Through the blazing illumination, those with functioning eyesight could barely make out a dark, writhing form caught in the center of that merciless beam. Shadow. His usual confident, mocking demeanor was gone, replaced by something that looked almost ... vulnerable. His shadowy essence was being pulled apart, stretched thin like taffy, smoky tendrils of darkness reaching desperately toward the edges of the light as if trying to escape.

And the sound he made ...

It wasn't the cocky, theatrical voice they'd grown used to. It was a howl of pure agony, raw and primal and utterly terrifying. The kind of sound that spoke of something fundamental being torn away, piece by piece.

Toy Freddy had pressed himself against his older counterpart, who for once didn't shove him away. Though that was probably only because he'd been trying to shield his eyes.

"What is that thing?" the shorter had eventually managed, squinting against the light as if trying to see some evidence of a source to it.

The beam seemed to be coming from somewhere above the canopy, though the source was impossible to see through the blinding light. Whatever was controlling it let out a sound that could barely be called mechanical – more like the groaning of reality itself being twisted out of shape. It was the kind of noise that made their endoskeletons vibrate uncomfortably, setting their servos on edge.

Shadow's agonized howl reached a crescendo, the sound becoming more distorted and glitchy with each passing second. Just when it seemed like he might be completely torn apart, an otherworldly shriek split the air – not from Shadow, but from somewhere else entirely.

The sound was unlike anything the animatronics had ever heard. It wasn't quite organic, wasn't quite mechanical, but something in between – a keening wail that seemed to bypass their audio receptors entirely and resonate in their very cores. Bonnie had even lowered himself to a kneeling position as if that would block the sensation, pulling his ears over his optical sensors.

It didn't work.

The piercing shriek caused the light to flicker, however, just for an instant, but it was enough. Shadow seized the opportunity and followed RXQ's example, vanishing into the shadows like smoke being sucked into a vacuum.

The beam swept back and forth a few more times, searching, before the source of it let out what could only be described as a sound of frustration – a low, rumbling growl that seemed to shake the very ground beneath their feet. Then, gradually, the light began to move away, traveling deeper into the fog until it disappeared completely.

Only when the last traces of that impossible illumination had faded did the animatronics dare to move. They remained huddled in the undergrowth for several more minutes, afraid to speak, afraid to breathe, afraid that any sound might bring that thing back.

Bonnie remained in his position for a while longer, before shifting to raise his head and scan the area to the best of his ability. The only thing he noticed that seemed out of the ordinary was his legs felt almost akin to jelly, and he had to use the support of Chica's shoulder to get back to his feet.

Everyone else looked as shaken as he felt.

Finally, Chica broke the silence. "What ... wh-hat w-waas th--at?" her voice was barely above a whisper.

No one had an answer.

The two Shades materialized slowly, their forms flickering and unstable. Shadow looked ... diminished somehow. A jagged chunk of his left cheek appeared to be missing, transparent darkness dripping from the wound like liquid smoke. RXQ wasn't much better – his usual rabbit-like shape kept wavering, as if he was having trouble maintaining his form.

"Seeker," RXQ replied, apparently having heard the question. "That was a Seeker."

"But they're never usually this far into the Hal'low," Shadow added, his usual theatrical flair completely absent. For the first time since they'd met him, he sounded genuinely afraid. "Something's wrong. They're expanding their hunting grounds."

So ... that was what a Seeker was ... Bonnie regretted ever allowing morbid curiosity to make him almost want to see what one looked like.

Toy Bonnie, who had been uncharacteristically quiet during the encounter, finally found his voice. "That... that thing could have killed you, couldn't it?"

Shadow's form flickered, and for a moment, his grin returned – but it was shaky, uncertain. "Killed? Oh no, little blue Zha'kir. Much worse than that. Seekers don't kill. They unmake. Complete erasure. Like you never existed at all."

"We need to keep moving," RXQ added, head swiveling around warily. "If Seekers are this deep, other things may also start to come. There may be something about you Zha'kir that's drawing them here."

As they continued on, Toy Chica spoke up. "Are there any other ... things that want to kill us here?"

RXQ gave something of vague resemblance to a small chitter. "Umbral Shades rule the Hal'low. Usually we stick to our pairs. But lately, the Void Crawlers have been getting bolder. Nearly had one consume my essence last cycle."

Shadow scoffed. "That's nothing. Try dealing with a pack of Nyx'thanar during the Darkening. Now that's aggressive."

"At least Nyx'thanar stay in their territory. Unlike those insufferable Sha'dril encroaching on ours."

"They're worse than Wraith'kin during a Void surge." Shadow agreed.

"That's because you antagonize them," RXQ retorted. "Remember when you tried to claim their spawning grounds as your own personal hunting territory?"

"They were being unreasonable! Besides, everyone knows Sha'dril are just failed Void Spawn anyway."

"That still doesn't excuse—" RXQ began, only to be cut off by Toy Bonnie's exasperated voice.

"Can you two speak English!? What even are those things!?"

The exasperation in Toy Bonnie's voice seemed to echo in the heavy air, and for a moment, the group fell into a profound silence. The Shades turned their attention toward him, confusion stitched across their glitchy forms.

Shadow was the first to respond, his words tinged with an odd mixture of condescension and mild amusement. "Zha'kir don't know Void Crawlers or Nyx'thanar? How quaint."

"Yeah, well, most of us didn't get a crash course on monster lore before ending up in your nightmare-fueled playground!" Toy Bonnie shot back, crossing his arms defiantly.

RXQ, however, seemed less interested in arguing. His form flickered as he scanned the area around them. "We need to focus on surviving first. Details later,"

“Surviving?” Toy Freddy interjected, his voice wavering. “What exactly do we need to survive against? Besides that … Seeker thing.”

"Oh, just about everything, really," Shadow drawled, his usual theatrical flair returning despite his wounded state. "Seekers, Void Crawlers, Nyx'thanar, Thornlings, the occasional Shadowmaw if you're particularly unlucky—"

"Shadow," RXQ warned, but his companion was on a roll.

"—Gloomhounds that'll track you for cycles, Mistbringers that'll turn you around until you're walking in circles for eternity, Vel'karis that manipulate mist to create illusions that can make you go mad, Eth'varas that steal memories until no consciousness is left, Echolings that sound exactly like your friends until they're close enough to—"

"ENO-NN-NOUGH!" Freddy's voice cut through the litany of horrors, his voice-box grinding audibly in protest to the volume. "We g-g-get it! Ever-r-ryth--—ng want-t-ts us d-d-dead!"

"Actually," RXQ interjected matter-of-factly, "most things here don't want you dead. Death implies you had life to begin with. Most creatures here want to consume your essence, corrupt your core programming, or use your forms as vessels for—"

"OH, WELL THAT'S SO MUCH BETTER!" Toy Bonnie shrieked, his voice cracking with hysteria.

The outburst was so loud and sudden that everyone — including the Shades — flinched. In the oppressive silence that followed, they could hear something rustle in the distance. Multiple somethings. Toy Chica shot Toy Bonnie a narrowed glance.

"Was that really necessary?" Toy Bonnie didn't get the chance to respond.

RXQ's form went rigid. "Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant."

"What-t nn-now-now?" Chica hissed, but before anyone could answer, a low, guttural growling began echoing from multiple directions. It wasn't the mechanical whirring they were used to from their own damaged vocal boxes—this was organic, wet, and definitely hungry.

"Gloomhounds," Shadow whispered, his bravado completely gone. "They heard the noise."

"How ma-man-ny?" Foxy growled, his hook already raised defensively.

"Does it matter?" RXQ snapped. "They hunt in packs. One is too many."

The growling was getting closer, accompanied by what sounded like claws scraping against bark and the wet sound of drool hitting the forest floor. Through the mist, shapes began to emerge—low, predatory forms that moved with unnatural fluidity.

"Eve---ybod-ddy stay-ay-ay cll-lose," Freddy ordered. "Don't r-r-run unles-ess I s-s-say so."

"Actually," Shadow interjected, "running might be your best option here. Gloomhounds are persistent, but they're not particularly fast over long distances—"

He was cut off as something massive crashed through the underbrush nearby. Whatever it was, it was definitely bigger than a Gloomhound.

"Please tell me that's not what I think it is," RXQ muttered.

A harsh sound like grinding rocks and bone mixed with organic breathing that made Bonnie's ear lay flat filled the air.

"Shadowmaw," both Shades said in unison, their forms flickering with what could only be described as panic.

"Okay, now we run," Shadow declared.

"WHAT'S A SHADOWMAW?!" Toy Freddy screamed as they all broke into a sprint. Or as close to a sprint as they could manage.

Animatronics with legs meant for it and had the condition to do so, such as Toy Bonnie and Foxy, had no problem. Bonnie, despite definitely having the means in the legs to do so, had one foot that, you know, hated existing these days. And he couldn't see.

"Think of the worst nightmare you've ever had," RXQ called back, "then multiply it by everything that wants to eat your soul!"

"I DON'T HAVE A SOUL!" the desperate terror and confusion in his tone would have been devastating under different circumstances.

"You do here!" Shadow laughed maniacally, his form stretching as he moved. "Everything has essence in the Void! Even little Zha'kir!"

Behind them, the Shadowmaw let out a roar that shook the very ground beneath their feet. It was pursuing them, and from the sound of splintering trees, it was gaining.

Bonnie, catching himself when a foot caught a twisted root, caught a glimpse of the thing over his shoulder and immediately wished he hadn't. From what the pixelated excuse of his vision allowed, it was like someone had taken every stupid horror movie monster he'd ever seen on the guard's monitor and mashed them together into one writhing, teeth-filled nightmare. Multiple rows of glowing eyes, tentacle-like appendages that ended in razor-sharp claws, and a maw that seemed to stretch impossibly wide.

"This way!" RXQ shouted, wisping away into that little ball of black smoke and diving toward what looked like a solid wall of thorns. At the last second, the thorns parted like a curtain, revealing a narrow passage. Shadow followed his example.

One by one, they dove through the opening. Bonnie nearly didn't make it—his damaged leg caught on one of the thorns, sending him tumbling forward. Chica caught his arm in the crook of her more functional elbow and hauled him through just as the Shadowmaw crashed into the thorn barrier.

The creature's roar of frustration was deafening, but the thorns held. For now.

"Those won't hold it for long," RXQ panted—or did whatever Shades did that passed for panting. "Shadowmaws are persistent."

"Where are we?" Toy Chica asked, looking around at their new surroundings, while Freddy took that time to tighten something in one knee that threatened to fall out. Last thing he needed was for his leg to fall off in this place.

They were in what appeared to be a tunnel of living wood, the walls pulsing with a faint, sickly green light. The air smelled of decay and something else—something sweet and cloying that made their olfactory sensors recoil.

"Welcome to the Thornling warrens," Shadow announced with his typical dramatic flair. "Hope you weren't attached to keeping all your parts."

"The WHAT warrens?" Toy Bonnie shrieked.

Before anyone could answer, chittering sounds began echoing from deeper in the tunnel. Lots of chittering sounds.

"Oh, tha' be gra-and," Foxy muttered. "Mor-ore play-laymat-ttes."

The chittering grew louder, accompanied by the sound of multiple small feet skittering across the wooden floor. From the depths of the tunnel, pairs of glowing red eyes began to appear, dozens of them, reflecting the green light like tiny rubies.

"Everyone stay very still," RXQ whispered. "Thornlings are attracted to movement and shiny objects."

Every single eye in the group turned to stare at Toy Bonnie, whose pristine blue finish practically glowed in the eerie light.

"Oh, come ON!" he wailed.

The chittering stopped. Then started again, much more excited now.

"Run," RXQ said simply.

"Again? Toy Freddy whimpered.

"AGAIN!" Shadow confirmed, already shooting forward into the tunnel.

As they ran deeper into the warrens, Bonnie couldn't help but think that their situation kept getting worse. First they were lost, then they were being hunted by living lights, now they were being chased by whatever Thornlings were through tunnels that smelled like death.

How much worse can this get!? He wondered.

That's when the tunnel floor decided much worse, giving way beneath them, and they all went tumbling into darkness ...

Chapter Text

Darkness.

Then ... the first thing to come to Bonnie's notice was that he could see.

Not the pixelated mess of static and half-formed shapes he'd grown accustomed to, but actual, clear-ish vision. As clear as his vision ever had been, anyway. He blinked – wait, he could blink? – and looked down at his hands. Both hands. Plural. Intact. Pristine bluish fabric covering casing he definitely didn't remember having in the last few years, not a scratch or dent to be found.

Shifting his focus to the surroundings, he didn't find himself in the strange area they'd been in just before. Instead, it was a void of dark and emptiness. The only thing visiboe beyond himself was a checkered floor not unlike the one back at the pizzeria. It stretched on a ways, before fading into the surrounding blackness.

Alone. Utterly alone.

"Well, well. Look who finally decided to wake up."

That voice. That damned voice that no one in their right mind would wish to hear. Bonnie's head snapped up, and there he was – the man who so proudly claimed them as his own. William Afton. His creator. The bastard who'd started all of this nightmare.

But something was wrong. Afton looked ... old. Sicker than Bonnie remembered. His face was gaunt, skin hanging loose like ill-fitting fabric. Those eyes that had once burned with manic enthusiasm now looked hollow, desperate. He looked wrong. Uncanny in a way Bonnie hadn't been aware he could feel. 

"Surprised to see me?" Afton wheezed, a sound like rusted metal scraping against concrete. "You shouldn't be. After all, I made you. Every servo, every circuit, every precious little subroutine in that metal skull of yours."

Bonnie tried to speak, tried to move, but found himself rooted in place. This was wrong. This was all wrong. Afton was dead – had to be dead. No one had heard of the man in years, as far as he was aware. And Bonnie was broken, damaged, practically blind and falling apart. Not .. not this. Not whole.

"Oh, don't look so confused," Afton continued, circling him like a predator sizing up prey. "Did you really think I'd abandon my greatest creation? My first real success?"

That was a lie. Bonnie had been far from the greatest creation. He'd been built wrong. Built broken.

Afton reached out with one finger – which looked bony enough to send signals that it wasn't quite right through the rabbit's processor – and traced along Bonnie's pristine faceplate, making his whiskers twitch. "Look at you. Perfect. Just like when I first switched you on."

Another lie.

The touch made Bonnie's systems recoil, but he still couldn't move. "You're ... you're dead," he managed to whisper, his voice coming out clear and unglitched for the first time in years.

Afton laughed – a wet, horrible sound. "Dead? Oh, my dear creation. Death is such a limiting concept. I've transcended such mortal concerns." He gestured to himself with mock grandeur. "Though I admit, the process has been ... taxing."

"What do you want?" Bonnie snarled, finding his voice. That familiar anger bubbled up – the rage that had sustained him through years of being broken, discarded, forgotten.

"What do I want?" Afton's eyes gleamed with that old familiar madness. "I want to give you everything you've ever desired. Look at yourself, Bonnie. Really look."

Against his will, Bonnie glanced down. His body was perfect. No missing limbs, no exposed wiring, a little black nose on a muzzle he hadn't possessed in years. The constant ache in his joints was gone. The grinding of damaged servos had ceased. Even his voice box worked flawlessly.

"I can give you this," Afton whispered, his voice taking on that silky, persuasive tone that had convinced those he used it on to fall right into whatever twisted plans he had. "All of this and more. No more pain. No more degradation. No more being looked down upon by those shiny new replacements."

The mention of the Toy animatronics sent a spike of familiar resentment through Bonnie's systems. Those perfect, polished pretenders who'd waltzed in to steal their spotlight, their purpose, their very identity. That preening blue scrap that reminded him of everything he wasn't.

"I see I've struck a nerve," Afton chuckled. "Still bitter about being replaced, aren't we? Still angry that they threw you away like garbage the moment something newer came along? That while theu prance around, you're left without a face and arm."

"Shut up," Bonnie growled, but there was no heat in it. Because Afton was right. He was bitter. He was angry. Every time he looked at those pristine Toy models, something in his core programming screamed with injustice.

"You don't have to be, you know," Afton continued, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "Join me. Accept what I'm offering. You could have your body back. Your dignity. You could show them who the real star is."

For a moment – just a moment – Bonnie felt himself wavering. The temptation was overwhelming. To be whole again. To not struggle with every simple task. To not need help from Chica just to navigate a room.

But then he remembered how he even ended up like this in the first place. The sound of his faceplate tearing away. The way Afton's eyes had gleamed with sick pleasure as he'd—

"No," Bonnie said firmly. "I won't. I'd rather rust to pieces than help you hurt us again."

Afton's expression shifted, the mask of benevolent creator slipping away to reveal something far darker underneath. "Oh, Bonnie. Sweet, naive Bonnie. You think you have a choice?"

The world around them began to shift, the soft lighting growing harsh and oppressive. The walls – when had there been walls? – seemed to press inward, the ceiling dropping lower with each passing second.

"You see," Afton said, his voice now dripping with malice, "you were never meant to think for yourself. That was a .. programming error. One I've been meanig to correct."

The space continued to shrink, and Bonnie felt panic start to kick in. The walls were too close, too tight, pressing in from all sides—

"Stop," he gasped, his perfect voice cracking. "Stop this!"

"But why would I stop?" Afton smiled, revealing teeth that seemed far too sharp to be fully human. "This is what you deserve. This is what you've always deserved. A broken, defective machine, trying to play at being more than the sum of its parts. That's what you are. A broken creature. You thought yiu could have some semblance of humanity inside you? You're a machine. A machine that belongs to me."

The walls pressed closer. Bonnie could feel them now, the ceiling cold and unyielding against his ears, forcing them to lower flat against his head. His breathing – why was he breathing? Animatronics didn't breathe – came in short, panicked gasps.

"You were activated too early, weren't you?" Afton's voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "That makes you much better than those other creations of mine. Sure, you all have your quirks, but you .. you're the most .. vulnerable."

"That's .. that's not true," Bonnie whispered, but doubt gnawed at him. He had been different from the others, even from the beginning. More volatile. More prone to anger and sarcasm. Twitchier. What if—

"Oh, but it is true," Afton purred. "You're a failed prototype, Bonnie. A mistake that I kept around because you can be of use to me.."

The perfect body began to flicker, like a bad hologram. Bonnie looked down in horror as his pristine hands began to deteriorate, casing melting away, his left arm flashing in and out of focus. His vision started to pixelate at the edges, the sight of the top of his muzzle flickering away to familiar emptiness.

"No," he breathed. "No, you can't—"

"I can do whatever I want," Afton snarled, his facade of civility finally dropping completely. "I made you. I own you. And I can break you just as easily if you don't make things easy for yourself. You're already halfway there."

The walls were so close now that Bonnie felt like he could barely move. This was wrong, this was all wrong, he needed to get out, needed space, needed—

"Please," his voice cracked with desperation, hating himself for the weakness but unable to stop the words. "Please, I can't .. I can't—"

"Pathetic," Afton spat. "Even now, even faced with the chance to be something more, you cling to your weaknesses like a security blanket."

Bonnie felt something crack inside his chest – not physically, but something deeper. Something fundamental. His arm – back to its state of disrepair – brought itself to hug close to his chest in a hopeless attempt for some sort of comfort, hand twitching.

"You want to know the truth about your precious friends?" Afton whispered, his voice now coming from right beside Bonnie's ear despite the man not having actually moved. "They don't care about you. They never did. You're just the broken one they keep around out of pity. A charity case."

"That's not—"

"Isn't it? When's the last time any of them actually sought out your company? When's the last time they included you in anything without being forced to? You're a burden, Bonnie. A liability. They'd all be better off without you."

Each word hit like a physical blow, and Bonnie felt his resolve cracking. Because there was truth in the venom – twisted truth, but truth nonetheless. He was the broken one. The damaged goods. The failure.

"Join me," Afton offered one final time. "Accept what you are, and I can make the pain go away. All of it. The physical damage, the emotional wounds, the constant reminder of your own inadequacy."

For a terrifying moment, Bonnie almost said yes. The temptation was overwhelming. To just give in, to stop fighting, to let someone else make the decisions. It would be so easy ...

But then he remembered who this was.

"Go to hell," Bonnie snarled, finding strength he didn't know he still possessed.

Afton's expression twisted into something inhuman, his features warping and shifting to become something far less human. "So be it," he hissed. "If you won't accept my generosity, then you can have exactly what you deserve ..."

The walls closed in completely, crushing Bonnie into a space so impossibly small that his systems screamed in protest. But just when he thought it couldn't get worse, the darkness behind Afton shifted.

They emerged from the void one by one. Freddy. Chica. Foxy. The Toy animatronics. All of them. But something was fundamentally wrong about them. Their eye sockets were empty voids — not dark, not offline, but empty. Hollow pits that somehow still managed to convey accusation. Judgment. Disgust.

They just stood there. Unmoving. Staring.

"You see?" Afton's voice echoed from everywhere at once. "Even they know the truth."

Bonnie tried to back away, but the walls were right there, pressing against his back, his sides, everywhere. He was trapped with these hollow-eyed versions of everyone he knew, all of them closing in with that same glacial, wrong movement.

"No," he whispered. "You're not real. This isn't real."

"Does it matter?" Afton laughed. "Real or not, you know it's true. Deep down, in whatever passes for your pathetic excuse of a consciousness, you know they all think this."

The floor beneath Bonnie began to crack, spiderwebbing out from where he stood. He looked down in horror as the fractures spread, glowing with an eerie red light that seemed to pulse in time with something he couldn't quite hear but could feel resonating through his endoskeleton.

"You're defective," some voice beyond Bonnie's perception intoned. "Fundamentally broken."

"A failed prototype," another hissed visciously.

"Worthless scrap,"

The floor gave way entirely. Bonnie fell, plummeting through darkness while those empty optical sensors watched from above, unblinking, uncaring. He screamed — actually screamed, the sound tearing from his vocal box in a way that would have damaged it if any of this were real — as he fell endlessly through the void.

"This is what you are," Afton whispered directly into Bonnie's processors. "This is all you'll ever be. Broken. Incomplete. Nothing."

Bonnie's optical sensors flickered online with a sharp gasp of his internal ventilation system. For a terrifying moment, he couldn't process where he was — just registered not there, not falling, not breaking apart — and his systems went into something approaching a panic response.

His remaining hand scrambled against something beneath him. Solid. Real. He forced his vision to focus, the familiar pixelation resolving into .. crystals?

They were everywhere. Massive formations jutting from the ground and ceiling, pulsing with a soft, ethereal light that ranged from pale blue to deep violet. The cavern they'd fallen into was absolutely filled with them, casting everything in an otherworldly glow that made Bonnie's optical sensors ache after the oppressive darkness of that .. whatever the hell that was.

A low, distressed sound made him turn his head. The others were stirring as well, each waking with varying degrees of confusion and disorientation. Toy Chica was the first to sit up fully, her optics adjusting to the light before widening at their surroundings.

"Where ..." she started, but trailed off as she took in the crystal formations.

Freddy groaned — a deep, mechanical sound that suggested his systems hadn't appreciated whatever fall had landed them here — and hauled himself into a sitting position. "Wha-a-aat happ-ppened-en—ndd?"

"You fell," RXQ's voice came from nearby, and Bonnie's head snapped toward the sound. The Shade was hovering near one of the smaller crystal formations, his form flickering erratically in a way that suggested severe discomfort. "Through the warren floor. Into this."

The way he said `this` made it sound like the worst possible outcome.

Shadow materialized beside his companion, looking equally agitated. His form kept wavering, like he was having trouble maintaining cohesion in the presence of so much light. "Of all the places to end up," he snarled, "It had to be the Light Territories."

"Light .. territories?" Toy Freddy echoed, finally managing to get to his feet. He reached down to help Toy Bonnie up, and the gesture made something twist uncomfortably in Bonnie's chest.

When was the last time anyone offered to help you up?

Bonnie shoved the thought away — a remnant of that nightmare, that's all it was — and used a nearby crystal formation to pull himself upright. His damaged leg protested immediately, servo grinding in a way that made him want to crawl out of his own casing.

"Lum'oria," RXQ said flatly, the name sounding like a curse. "The Light Territories. We're not in the Hal'low anymore."

"And that's .. bad?" Chica ventured.

Both Shades turned to look at her with expressions that somehow conveyed `obviously.`

"The creatures here," Shadow began, his form flickering again as he moved away from a particularly bright cluster of crystals, "are insufferable, uptight, smug little—"

"They're not fond of Shades," RXQ cut in before his companion could work himself into a proper rant. "And the feeling is mutual."

"Why?" Toy Bonnie asked, having finally extracted himself from the small crater his landing had created with Toy Freddy's help. He was already fussing over the scuffs on his finish, much to Bonnie's irritation.

Look at him. Perfect and pristine and actually cared about how he looks because he still has something worth caring about.
Bonnie forcibly dragged his attention away from the younger rabbit and back to the Shades.

Shadow's form rippled with what could only be described as old anger. "They drove us out. Ages ago. Took what should have been ours and forced us into the darker territories."

"To be fair," RXQ added dryly, "We also tried to consume their life essence and corrupt their spawning grounds."

"That was one time—"

"It was seventeen times."

"Whose side are you on!?" Shadow's form flickered violently.

RXQ remained unmoved. "The side of not getting us both unmade because you can't control your temper for five minutes."

"That was—"

"Seventeen. Times." RXQ's tone was flat, final. "And I distinctly remember having to pull you out of a Lux'varen nest because you had to prove you could corrupt their spawning grounds."

Toy Chica, who had been quietly observing the exchange while helping Toy Bonnie brush dust off his casing, finally spoke up. "What's a .. Lux .. varen?"

Both Shades turned to look at her, and Shadow's form rippled with what could only be described as vindictive satisfaction. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough, little Zha'kir. This whole forsaken territory is crawling with them."

As if summoned by the very mention, a high-pitched chittering echoed through the crystal cavern. It was followed by more – dozens of voices creating a discordant symphony that made Bonnie's audio receptors ache. The sound seemed to come from the crystals themselves, vibrating through the formations until the entire cavern hummed with it.

From between the larger crystal clusters, shapes began to emerge. They were small, maybe reaching up to Bonnie's knee joint at most, and seemed to be made of the same luminescent material as the crystals around them. Their forms were vaguely insectoid, with multiple legs that clicked against the stone floor and wings that refracted light into dizzying patterns.

But it was their faces – or what passed for faces – that made Bonnie's systems recoil. They had too many eyes, all of them glowing with that same ethereal light, arranged in geometric patterns that hurt to look at for too long.

"Lux'varen," RXQ confirmed, his voice dripping with distaste. "The most insufferable, sanctimonious, smug little parasites in all the territories."

One of the creatures, slightly larger than the others, with wings that seemed to pulse with a brighter light, chittered something that sounded almost like laughter. When it spoke, its voice was high and crystalline, like wind chimes made of glass.

"Kra'thir return to Lum'oria? Bold. Foolish. Typical of void-touched filth."

Shadow's form rippled dangerously. "At least we void-touched filth don't scurry around like overgrown luminodes, desperately clinging to our precious little light sources—"

"Shadow," RXQ warned, but his companion was already on a roll.

"—phosphtick parasites, that's what you are. Useless lumoscum that wouldn't last five seconds in real darkness—"

The Lux'varen's many eyes flared brighter, and when it spoke again, its voice had taken on a sharp, mocking edge. "Says the kor'shath who nearly got unmade by a Seeker in his own territory. How embarrassing. The great Sha'reth, reduced to fleeing like a common vex'nil."

Bonnie saw Shadow's form actually freeze mid-flicker.

"At least I have the spine to face a Seeker," Shadow snarled back. "Unlike you radiance-drunk shor'val who hide behind your precious borders, too terrified to venture beyond your safe little glow—"

"We are not shor'val!" another Lux'varen shrieked, its wings creating a sound like shattering glass. "That insult is beneath even Kra'thir filth!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Shadow's voice dripped with false sweetness. "Did I offend the delicate sensibilities of the underdwelling lomoscum? Should I use smaller words so your light-addled processors can keep up?"

"Shadow," RXQ hissed, more urgently this time. "Shut. Up."

But the damage was done. More Lux'varen were emerging from the crystal formations now, their chittering taking on an aggressive edge. The larger one's wings flared wide, displaying patterns that seemed to pulse with barely contained hostility.

"Typical Kra'thir," it spat. "All arrogance and empty threats. You void-cursed thal'mek think you're so superior, but look at you now. Trapped in our territory, dependent on our mercy—"

"Mercy?" Shadow laughed, the sound harsh and distorted. "From a bunch of lux'nal cowards who couldn't fight their way out of a Mistweaver's web?"

Chica, who had been watching this exchange with growing alarm, finally spoke up. "Wha-a-at ar-arre they call-ll-lling each oth-ther-er?"

RXQ, without taking his attention off the increasingly agitated Lux'varen, replied tersely, "Insults. Very creative ones. Shadow has a particular talent for finding the most offensive terms in any given situation."

"They started it," Shadow muttered, though his form had begun to compress slightly.

The lead Lux'varen chittered again, and this time, there was definitely amusement in the sound. "Poor, poor Kra'thir. So desperate for relevance that you resort to childish name-calling. How the mighty have fallen. I remember when your kind ruled the Kor'shaeth. Before we drove you out like the kes'vara vermin you are."

Bonnie didn't know what half those words meant, but he could read the tension in Shadow's form. The Shade was seconds away from doing something spectacularly stupid.

"The Kor'shaeth was ours by right," Shadow hissed. "The Great Nox'ura created it from the Void itself—"

"And you corrupted it," the Lux'varen interrupted, its voice turning sharp. "Poisoned it with your void-touched essence until it became as twisted and broken as you are. We did everyone a favor by driving you back into the darkness where you belong, you Nox'thar abominations."

"We didn't corrupt it, you self-righteous lux'void waste—"

"SHADOW." RXQ's voice cut through the argument like a blade. "Remember what happened last time. Do you want a repeat of the Vel'shara incident?"

Shadow actually flinched at that, his form flickering erratically. Whatever the Vel'shara incident was, it was clearly bad enough to give even him pause.

The Lux'varen noticed his hesitation and chittered mockingly. "Oh yes, the Vel'shara incident. When great Sha'reth thought he could challenge a Thal'voris to single combat. How did that end again? Oh, that's right — with you fleeing like scared drel'kith with your essence half-unmade."

Toy Bonnie, who had been listening to this exchange with increasing bewilderment, finally spoke up. "What are they even saying? Half these words sound like someone sneezed on a keyboard!"

One of the smaller Lux'varen turned its many eyes toward him, and Bonnie felt an uncomfortable prickle run through his circuits. "Zha'kir speaks. How .. quaint."

"We speak common," the lead Lux'varen added, though it sounded distinctly unimpressed. "Unlike the Kra'thir, who insist on using void-tongue to sound more intimidating."

"At least void-tongue doesn't sound like dying crystals being scraped together," Shadow muttered, but there was less heat in his voice now. RXQ's intervention had taken the wind out of his sails.

Toy Freddy had fallen into step beside Freddy, his voice low and uncertain. "Do you understand any of this?"

Freddy's response was a simple shake of his head. "Nn-no-ot a wor-orrd."

Bonnie watched them, that familiar twist in his chest returning. The way Toy Freddy looked at his older counterpart – with respect, maybe even admiration – despite the bear's damaged state and gruff demeanor.

When was the last time anyone looked at you like that?

Never, his traitorous thoughts supplied. Because you've never been worth admiring. Just a defective prototype that somehow stayed online longer than you should have.

He forcibly dragged his attention away from them and back to the ongoing tension between the Shades and the Lux'varen.

"You Kra'thir should leave," one of the smaller creatures chittered. "Before we summon the Drel'kanor. They're always eager to chase void-filth from our borders."

"Drel'kanor," Shadow scoffed, but Bonnie noticed he'd subtly drifted back. "Those lumbering ghal'veth couldn't catch a Mistweaver if it was standing still—"

"They caught you last time," RXQ pointed out dryly.

Shadow's form flickered with what might have been embarrassment. "That was different—"

"It really wasn't."

Chica, who had been watching this with growing concern, finally spoke up. "How do-o we-e get-tt out of her-ere?"

The lead Lux'varen turned its attention to her, its many eyes blinking in a pattern that might have been confusion. "Zha'kir wishes to leave? Why not ask the Kra'thir? They're supposed to be your guides, aren't they?"

There was something pointed in the way it said that last part, and Bonnie saw both Shades tense.

"We're not guides," RXQ said flatly. "We're just trying to get them out of our territory."

"How charitable," the Lux'varen's voice dripped with sarcasm. "The Kra'thir, helping lost Zha'kir out of the goodness of their void-cursed hearts. How .. uncharacteristic."

"We have our reasons," Shadow muttered darkly.

"I'm sure you do." the creature's wings fluttered, creating a sound like distant bells. "Kra'thir always have reasons. Usually involving corruption, manipulation, or consuming someone's essence."

Foxy, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout this exchange, finally growled, "Be tha' tr-true?"

The Lux'varen's attention shifted to him, and it chittered what might have been amusement. "You travel with Kra'thir and don't know their nature? How delightfully naive. Umbral Shades are tricksters, Zha'kir. Corruptors. They feed on fear and darkness, twist reality to suit their purposes, and have been known to drive lesser creatures mad for entertainment."

"That's—" Shadow started to protest, but RXQ cut him off.

"Mostly accurate," the darker Shade admitted. "Though we're not trying to corrupt you. At the moment."

"How reassuring," Toy Chica muttered.

The lead Lux'varen moved closer, its multiple legs clicking against the stone floor. It circled the group slowly, keeping a noticeable distance from the two Shades. "You should be wary, Zha'kir. Kra'thir are not known for their trustworthiness. They're void-touched. Kor'nal. Creatures of malice and trickery who would sell you to a Seeker if it benefited them."

"We would not—" Shadow began indignantly, but the Lux'varen wasn't finished.

"They led you here, didn't they? To Lum'oria, where we remember what their kind did to the Kor'shaeth. Where we drove them out for their crimes. Where they're reminded daily that they're kes'vara filth, lower than Void Crawlers, barely worthy of existence."

Shadow's form was flickering violently now, his rage barely contained. "You self-righteous—"

"Shadow," RXQ warned, but his companion had reached his limit.

"—phosphtick lomoscum who wouldn't know real power if it unmade them—"

The Lux'varen's eyes flared dangerously bright. "At least we phosphtick lomoscum don't cower in the darkness like frightened drel'kith. At least we didn't have to flee our own territory because we were too weak to hold it."

That did it. Shadow's form exploded outward, becoming something almost solid for a brief moment – all glowing, sharp teeth and claws and rage. The Lux'varen scattered, their chittering turning to alarm, but before Shadow could actually attack, RXQ had materialized directly in his path.

"Enough," RXQ's voice was cold, absolute. "Remember where we are. Remember what happened last time you let your pride control you in Lum'oria."

Shadow froze, his form wavering between solid and smoke. For a long moment, Bonnie thought he might actually attack despite the intervention, but slowly, agonizingly slowly, the Shade began to compress back down to his usual size.

"Fine," Shadow spat, though his voice was still tight with rage. "Fine. Let's just get out of this lux'nal infested pit."

The lead Lux'varen chittered mockingly. "Running away, Sha'reth? Again? How very .. expected."

Shadow's form flickered dangerously, but RXQ had already moved to block him again.

"Let's go," RXQ said firmly, looking at the animatronics. "Before Shadow does something we'll both regret."

As they moved to follow the Shades deeper into the crystal cavern, Bonnie noticed the Lux'varen were keeping pace with them, staying just out of reach but clearly watching. The lead one's voice drifted after them:

"Don't trust the Kra'thir, Zha'kir. They're void-touched. Tainted. They'll betray you the moment it serves their purpose."

Bonnie glanced at the two Shades. Shadow was still visibly agitated, his form flickering erratically. RXQ looked .. tired, if a being made of shadows could look tired.

"Ig-nor-ore them," Freddy muttered. "We do-on't hav-ave oth-ther opt-ption-ions."

Toy Freddy nodded, still staying close to his older counterpart. "He's right. We don't know this place. We need guides, even if they're ..." he trailed off, clearly not wanting to finish that sentence where the Shades could hear.

Even if they're potentially manipulating us, Bonnie finished silently. Even if everything those light creatures said might be true.

But what choice did they have? They were lost, broken, and completely out of their depth. The Shades were the only connection they had to understanding this place, even if they couldn't be fully trusted.

Just like you, that poisonous voice in his head whispered. Broken and barely useful. A burden they're forced to drag along.

Bonnie shoved the thought away viciously, focusing instead on keeping his damaged leg moving. One step at a time. That's all he could manage right now.

The Lux'varen continued to follow them, their chittering a constant reminder that they were being watched. Judged. Found wanting.

Just like always.

After what felt like hours of walking – though Bonnie's internal clock was completely unreliable in this place – they finally reached what appeared to be an exit. The crystal formations grew sparser here, and beyond them, Bonnie could see the dim suggestion of different terrain.

RXQ and Shadow had gone ahead to scout, leaving the animatronics alone with their thoughts and the ever-present chittering of the Lux'varen. The creatures had kept their distance, but their mocking commentary had been relentless.

It was during this brief respite that one of the Lux'varen – not the lead one, but another slightly smaller creature with wings that pulsed in a rhythmic pattern – approached them directly. It kept a wary distance, its many eyes fixed primarily on Chica.

"Zha'kir," it chittered softly. "A word of warning, yes?"

Chica's optical sensors flickered. "Abo-out?"

"The Kra'thir. The void-touched ones. Sha'reth and Rek'vhar." The creature's wings fluttered nervously. "They are .. dangerous. More than you know."

"We-e've bee-een told-ld," Foxy growled.

The Lux'varen's eyes blinked in that odd pattern again. "No, Zha'kir doesn't understand. Umbral Shades are corruptors. Twisters of reality. They get inside your processing, your thoughts, make you see things that aren't there. Make you believe things that aren't true."

Bonnie felt something cold settle in his chest cavity. Make you see things that aren't there.

"Wha-at kind of th-hings?" he heard himself ask.

The creature's attention shifted to him, and for a moment, its mocking demeanor softened slightly. "Fears. Insecurities. They find what hurts you most and twist it, shape it, use it against you. It's what they do, yes? It's in their nature. They can't help it any more than we can help being drawn to light."

"You-ou say-ying they've bee-een mess-sing with-th our hea-eads?" Chica's voice was sharp, dangerous.

"Not .. necessarily. Not on purpose, maybe. But Kra'thir leak void-essence. It seeps into everything around them. Causes ... distortions. Hallucinations. Makes you doubt what's real and what isn't." the Lux'varen's wings created that bell-like sound again. "Especially in Zha'kir. You're ... different. Not of this realm. More vulnerable to void-corruption."

Before anyone could respond to this alarming information, Shadow and RXQ materialized from the darkness ahead. Both Shades stopped short when they saw the Lux'varen speaking to the animatronics.

"What did you tell them?" Shadow demanded, his form flickering aggressively.

The Lux'varen chittered something that might have been amusement. "Only the truth, Sha'reth. That Kra'thir are void-touched. That you corrupt everything you touch. That Zha'kir should be .. careful."

"We haven't corrupted anything—" Shadow started, but the creature cut him off.

"Haven't you? Look at them, Sha'reth. Look at the Zha'kir. They're already showing signs. The trembling one—" it gestured toward Bonnie with one leg, "—his optical processors flicker strangely. The void-touch is already taking hold."

"That's-tt not-tt—" Bonnie started to protest, but his voice broke off into distorted static, undermining his point.
"My voice-e has bee-een like thi-this," he finished weakly.

The Lux'varen's many eyes studied him with something that might have been pity. "If you say so, Zha'kir. If you say so."

RXQ, who had been silent throughout this exchange, finally spoke. "Path is clear. We should move. Now."

There was something in his tone that suggested urgency, and the animatronics didn't argue. As they filed past the Lux'varen toward the exit, Bonnie felt those multiple eyes tracking him, and the creature's words echoed in his processors:

They get inside your processing, make you see things that aren't there.

Was that what had happened? Had that vision of Afton, that crushing space, those hollow-eyed versions of his friends ... had that been the Shades' doing? Or had it been his own fears manifesting?

Does it matter? That poisonous voice whispered. Real or not, you know it was true.

Bonnie shook his head sharply, trying to dispel the thoughts, and nearly walked into Chica's back as she'd stopped abruptly.

"Wha-at—" he started, but then he saw it too.

They'd emerged from the crystal cavern into .. somewhere else. The terrain here was different. Less oppressive than the Hal'low, but still unsettling. The ground beneath their feet felt slightly spongy, and what passed for vegetation here glowed with a soft, bioluminescent light that created dancing shadows everywhere Bonnie looked.

But that wasn't what had made her stop.

There was something on Toy Freddy's back.

A small, crystalline creature. Another Lux'varen, but different from the others. Its form was more compact, its wings smaller, and its light pulsed in an erratic pattern that suggested youth or excitement. It had apparently attached itself to the bear's back plating while they'd been in the cavern, and was now clinging there like some kind of bizarre, glowing parasite.

"Uh," Toy Freddy said, his voice climbing several octaves. "Guys?"

Everyone turned to stare at him, or more accurately, at the creature on his back. The Lux'varen chittered happily, its many eyes blinking in what might have been enthusiasm.

Shadow's form exploded with rage. "Get off the Zha'kir, you parasitic lux'void—"

"No!" the creature interrupted, its voice younger than the others they'd encountered. "Syl want to come! Syl has never been outside borders! Syl want to see!"

"Syl?" RXQ repeated, sounding baffled.

"That's .. that's my designation, yes?" the creature — Syl, apparently — chirped. "Given by the Collective. Syl is curious. Syl wants to learn about Zha'kir and dark territories and everything beyond Lum'oria!"

"Abso-ll-lutely not-tt," Freddy stated firmly. "We do-on't need-d mor-ore probl-lems—"

"But Syl can help!" the creature insisted. "Syl knows light territories better than kor'nal Kra'thir! Syl knows safe paths, knows which creatures to avoid, knows where Seekers patrol!"

Shadow moved threateningly toward Toy Freddy, clearly intending to forcibly remove the creature, but Syl's wings flared defensively.

"You touch Syl, void-filth, and Syl screams. Very loud. Brings Drel'kanor running. They still remember Sha'reth. Still angry about Vel'shara incident."

Shadow froze mid-advance. "You wouldn't dare—"

"Try Syl," the creature said smugly. "See what happens."

RXQ, to everyone's surprise, actually chittered — a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. "Of course. Of course this would happen."

"Ye ca-an' be-e seri-rious-sly consid-derin'—" Foxy started.

"The lux'nal actually has a point," RXQ interrupted. "It—"

"Syl," the creature corrected snippily. "Syl has a designation. Use it, kor'nal."

"—Syl knows the light territories better than we do. Shades don't exactly make a habit of venturing into areas that hurt to exist in."

"Because you're dumb," Syl added helpfully. "Void-cursed and dumb. But at least smart enough to know light territories are painful for kes'vara filth like you."

Shadow's form flickered violently. "We are not dumb, you sanctimonious little—"

"Shadow," RXQ warned. "Don't. It's not worth it."

"It called us dumb!"

"It's not wrong," RXQ pointed out dryly. "We don't know the light territories well. We usually avoid them unless hunting."

Syl chittered triumphantly. "See? Even the sensible Kra'thir admits it! Shades stay in Hal'low or other dark territories because they're cowards—"

"We are not cowards!" Shadow snarled.

"—because they're smart enough to know they don't belong in light," Syl continued as if he hadn't spoken. "Unless hunting. Or fleeing. Or being chased out because Sha'reth did something stupid and got them both banned from another territory."

"That was ONE TIME—"

"Seventeen times," RXQ and Syl said in unison, then seemed to pause, as if surprised they'd agreed on something.

Toy Freddy, who had been standing very still throughout this entire exchange, finally found his voice, though it was still several octaves higher than it should have been. "So ... does this mean it's staying?"

"Syl," the creature corrected. "And yes. Syl is coming. Syl has decided."

"You ca-an't ju-jus--ttt deci-ide—" Freddy started.

"Syl can and Syl has," the creature interrupted. "Besides, you need Syl. Light territories are dangerous. Many creatures. Many rules. Kra'thir are hated here, yes? But Zha'kir?" its many eyes blinked in that odd pattern. "Zha'kir are unknown. Might be mistaken for Void Spawn. Might be attacked on sight. Syl can help prevent that."

"Or," Shadow said coldly, "you could just be trying to spy on us for your Collective."

Syl's wings created that shattering-glass sound again. "Syl doesn't care about Collective's politics! Syl is young, yes? Curious. Want to see beyond borders. Want to learn about things that aren't crystals and light and same boring territories Syl has known since Syl's formation."

There was something almost .. wistful in the way it said that, and Bonnie found himself feeling an unexpected pang of sympathy. He knew what it was like to be trapped, to want something beyond what you'd been designated for.

No you don't, that voice whispered. You've never wanted anything because you're not capable of wanting. You're a machine. A broken, defective machine.

"Can-n we tru-ust it?" Chica asked quietly.

Syl's attention snapped to her. "Zha'kir asks good question. Can you trust Syl? No. Not really. Syl is Lux'varen. You are strange, unknown creatures. But—" its wings fluttered, "—can you afford not to accept Syl's help?"

RXQ made a sound that might have been grudging agreement. "It's .. not wrong. The light territories are extensive, and we'd be fumbling blind through most of them."

"So we're jus-ss' goin-n' ta let-tt thi-is thi-ing tag-g alo-ong?" Foxy demanded.

"Syl!" the creature insisted. "Syl has designation! Use it!"

"Fine," Shadow spat. "We'll let the annoying little lux'nal tag along. But—" his form compressed threateningly, "—if it betrays us, I'm feeding it to a Shadowmaw."

"Shadowmaws don't eat Lux'varen," Syl said matter-of-factly. "Too bright. Hurts their void-touched insides. Everyone knows that."

"I'll find something that does eat you then," Shadow muttered darkly.

Syl just chittered happily, apparently unbothered by the threat. "See? This will be fun! Syl has never traveled with Kra'thir before! Or Zha'kir! So much to learn!"

"This is a terrible idea," Toy Bonnie muttered.

"When has that-tt ever-r stopp-pped us?" Bonnie found himself saying, and was rewarded with an actual snort from Chica.

Toy Freddy, meanwhile, was trying very hard to look at the creature on his back without actually turning his head enough to dislodge it. "Is it going to stay there the whole time?"

"Syl is comfortable here," the creature replied cheerfully. "Toy Freddy — that's designation, yes? — has nice sturdy plating. Good for holding on to. Better than Bonnie—" it gestured toward Bonnie, "—who has no face and probably wouldn't appreciate Syl clinging to head. Or Other Bonnie—" a gesture toward Toy Bonnie, "—who would complain about scratches to finish, whatever that is."

"How did you—" Toy Bonnie started, looking genuinely offended.

"Syl watches. Syl learns. Syl reads innermost thoughts. Syl is very observant," the creature said smugly.

RXQ made that chittering sound again. "This is either going to be the best or worst decision we've made today."

"Given our history," Shadow muttered, "probably worst."

But he didn't argue further, and with Syl now apparently a permanent addition to their group, they continued onward, leaving the crystal caverns of Lum'oria behind them.

As they walked, Bonnie found his attention drifting back to the Lux'varens' earlier comments. About the Shades corrupting things. About void-touch causing hallucinations.

Make you see things that aren't there.

He glanced at Shadow and RXQ, both hovering ahead, arguing about something in low tones that occasionally devolved into what were definitely creative insults. Were they doing something to him? Or was his own damaged programming just finally giving out?

Does it matter? that voice whispered again. Either way, you're breaking down. Falling apart. Just like always.

"You okay?" Chica's voice cut through his spiraling thoughts, quiet enough that the others wouldn't hear.

Bonnie almost said yes automatically, but something made him pause. "Do-o you-u ev-ever thi-ink-nk we're in ov-ver our head-heads?"

Chica was silent for a moment. "Ever-ry day," she admitted. "But-tt wha-at else ca-an we do-o? We're her-ere. Mi-ight as well-ll ke-eep mov-ving."

It wasn't exactly reassuring, but it was honest. And somehow, that helped more than any false comfort would have.

They pressed on into whatever fresh hell this place had waiting for them, now accompanied by an over-enthusiastic Lux'varen who apparently thought traveling with creatures universally hated throughout these territories was a grand adventure.

Behind them, the mocking chittering of the other Lux'varen faded into the distance, but their words lingered:

Don't trust the Kra'thir. They're void-touched. Corruptors.

Bonnie didn't know if he trusted the Shades. He wasn't sure he trusted anyone anymore, himself included.

But Chica was right. What choice did they have but to keep moving?

Probably end up scrapped somewhere. Or whatever the equivalent was in this place. Bonnie just hoped it was the former, for once.