The area around them was shrouded in darkness, neon plasters were no longer lit and the few overhead lights that existed were shut off. The girl didn't understand why the lights suddenly all flicked off at once, but what she did understand was that Moon was free to do as he pleases when darkness came.

She sat limply on the floor, her fearful face reflected off the tile. Her eyes nervously flicked from Freddy to Moon. The jester was always cautiously in front of her, twitching sporadically with his innards ticking loudly like a clock, like a heartbeat. He made sure that even if Freddy attempted to get her, the bear would have to get through him first.

Moon always seemed to be smiling sharply and creepily. The girl believed that he was built with a permanent grin. She couldn't imagine a life where she would always be smiling. It would be horrific, you would smile even when sad, and you would smile even when angry. But that was one of the terrible qualities of the celestial animatronic. He would smile while drowning you, poisoning you, stabbing you, hurting you.

Freddy took very limited steps. His furious eyes never left Moon. He was quiet and mostly still. But there was a strange guttural sound that boomed from his chest. It was loud, like a hundred thousand bees buzzing at once. The bear didn't blink once and his fingers were closed into tight, shaky fists.

It was the start of a vicious standoff, waiting for who would make the firet move. Moon chuckled to himself, "Your threats are petty, yet so violent! You really have changed, huh?"

"It is not a matter of whether I changed or not, it is about her." Freddy's voice fizzled through the air. His eyes narrowed upon his adversary. "I am giving you one last warning to step away from her."

"Hah! Are you threatening me now, gummy bear?"

"Do not change the subject."

Moon laughed loudly, mockingly. He pretended to wipe a tear from his eye but he just smudged the oil more. It was like wiping wet mascara. Moon's eye flashed savagely as his laughter quieted, this was ridiculous! Nothing has ever amused him this much. Moon gestured towards his gaping black optic. "Oh, Freddy! Do you wonder why I'm missing this eye?"

Freddy paused in his steps. His ear twitched. He slightly tilted his head at the jester. Yes, he has very much noticed the missing eye and as well the fact Moon had increasingly unstable behavior. Which was strange in itself. Don't get him wrong, Moon was always a skittish animatronic, but not this violent. In the end, Freddy couldn't bring himself to care about what happened to Moon.

"I have told you already, do not change the subject-"

"It was because of this brat!" Moon cut Freddy off with a screech, pointing accusingly at (Y/n) who flinched at the raise in volume. The jester's chest rattled like a drum, her heartbeat was quicker. "She took away the one thing I can't fix, being broken!"

Freddy seemed to be caught off guard, his shoulders stiffened as he tensed up. But other than that, he continued to glare at the giggling robot. Moon's laughter sounded desperate, delusional. "The damage has already been done! Do you think I'm scared of what you have to say?"

Moon took a brave step forward, his sporadic ticking sounded like a heartbeat. Freddy's low growling increased at the closing proximity.

"I'm not gonna stop until she's dead under my feet, Freddy," Moon spat. His fingers twitching as he boldly approached, his golden bells chimed softly, but it seemed to be a pounding echo in the girl'smind. The bear's optics flashed warningly as his fist tightened at Moon's approach "And I'm going to make you watch!-"

CRACK!

Freddy rushed forward and delivered a pounding blow to Moon's thin face. The jester didn't realize how he was too close to the imposing animatronic. Even though Moon was towering in height, he wasn't as tall or broad as Freddy. The jester was thrown back as he was caught off guard by the burst of violence. He skidded noisily across the floor, a sound of surprise screeched out of his voice box. Freddy immediately rushed to (y/n)'s side, words of comfort spilled out of his mouth like poetry lines.

Moon was rapidly on his feet and he was chuckling furiously, his red eye glowing like a beacon. Freddy's fist was delivered viciously against Moon's hollow eye, a vulnerable spot.Tthe robot reached to his face, his fingers brushed against the side of his face, he felt small spiderweb cracks spread sporadically from the broken optic to the side of his head. His voice box quietly hissed with savage laughter as he spun around, his furious crimson eye darted to Freddy's crouched figure.

Never turn your back on your enemies.

Moon's shoes clacked against the floor before he rapidly launched himsel to Freddy. He grasped the bear by the shoulders and shoved him back from the girl. Moon was latched onto Freddy's back like a swinging monkey. Freddy tried to squirm out of the robot's tight grasp. Moon was planning to put Freddy to the floor, which was his usual act of offense, but the bear animatronic had surprisingly strong endurance, even when caught by surprise. Moon's fingers reached out and dug across Freddy's face, making a terrible scraping sound.

Freddy growled and wrestled Moon off him like the jester was a wriggling leech. Moon was finally thrown off, landing a few feet away onto his long, spindly legs. Freddy spun around, sizing Moon up with the withering glare. The large streak marks pulled across Freddy's face grusesomly. The little girl immediately pulled herself to her feet, in shock at the damage inflicted on the animatronics before her. Freddy stood protectively in front of her, like a barrier, and Moon was searching for an opening to snatch her up.

"Go, (y/n!)" Freddy gritted through his teeth, shoving Moon violently away, who was hissing wildly. The jester would always somehow spin himself back on his feet after being thrown back, and then he would charge at Freddy, again and again. There was no end in sight to his barrage of fists. "Don't stop running, even when the lights turn on! I'll meet you back in the Main Atrium! I promise, superstar!"

"Aw! How cute! Do you really believe she can escape? Just like that!?" Moon taunted, tilting his head mockingly at Freddy. The bear snarled at him, shoving Moon back aggressively.

"Shut up."

The girl stumbled away and ran away from the quarreling animatronics. Moon attempted to give chase, but Freddy threw him back, making him skid on the tiled floor. Her eyes burned, and she was already out of breath. She didn't want to do this again, being once more split by her friends and alone in this dark place. Why must this always happen?

She disappeared into another randomly chosen hallway, into the eerie darkness of the Pizzaplex.

____________

It took a few minutes after she left for the lights to flick back on. She had no idea if Freddy was ok, or if Moon crawled back from where he came from. But she was somewhat relieved that it was no longer as dark as it was before.

She was still speed walking down the hallways, as fast as her small legs could take her. She needed to get to the Atrium, but how? She doesn't know how her watch works, she doesn't know the button to call Freddy. It would probably attract Moon to her location anyways, she shivered at the possibility of meeting him again.

She was rapidly swerving a corner when she slammed face-first into something harder than a stone wall. She fell back onto her tail-bone, her elbows propping her up. She flinched in surprise as a figure loomed over her. No, please don't let this be Chica, or any other robot!

Her eyes trailed up to look into the sharp, metallic eyes of Gregory. He stared down at her in surprise, his fingers twitching at his side. He looked... disheveled. His hair seemed messier than usual, he seemed paler than usual, his eyes seemed darker than usual, but blood didn't seem to be leaking through his clothes anymore. He looked unhurt, fine even. (Y/n) immediately lit up with happiness.

"Gregory!" She wobbly stood up on both legs, but when she pulled herself up, she felt pain bloom across her face. Her nose was dripping crimson, and the back of her throat had the bitter, metallic taste of blood.

She wiped at her face with her hand, getting blood all over the back of it. After all the abuse she experienced today, the pain was mild, it stung, but she didn't like the sour feeling that came with a nosebleed. She flinched at the sight of red on her fingers, and the unpleasant feeling of blood dripping down her chin.

Gregory's gaze immediately flicked to the steady stream of blood on her face, his pupils seemed to become wider, his eyes darker... the girl felt shivers travel down her spine at the shadowy gaze narrowed upon her.

"(Y/n)..." Gregory rasped at her, she didn't hear the eerie shivering in his tone. He circled around her, his piercing eyes traveled all around her body before landing on her throat, his face twitched, his gaze sharpening. The girl felt goosebumps travel up her arms at the sudden intensity of his presence. She took a step back from him, but he immediately latched her arm in a tight hold, peering into her eyes. Something was wrong with him, something was different.

"...Who did this to you?"

Sorry for being absent for a while, last week I got really sick right after final exams. 😭😭
Hope this chapter was good tho!

We meet up with Gregory again? 🤨