Chapter Text
Gregory looked at the card he had previously acquired at the ticket station with the help of a despicable Mr.Hippo magnet. It read 'Daycare' in colorful letters. Gregory is reluctant to go in there, but he had no other choice if he wanted to get the security badge.
He averted Chica with little difficulty and slid right past the doors to the Daycare. As he arrived, he took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the sudden and overwhelming darkness that enveloped the daycare. The only light source being Fizzy Faz machines, the screens, glowing stars on the ceiling and on the walls, and a half moon lamp in the middle of the ceiling over the play area, giving off a cool, dim light.
As Gregory's eyes got used to the darkness, he noticed something big. As he got closer, he realized he was looking at a golden statue of two animatronics. One was Sun themed and the other was Moon themed. Gregory got a bad feeling.
After a minute or so, he figured that the slide was the only way in. He hated how childish it was. He wasn't a baby! He was already nine and a half! But he eventually swallowed his pride and 'Slid into Fun'. He fell into a ball pit and his first instinct was to get out of this germ infested hell. He simply couldn't afford to get sick. Being sick on the streets was a death sentence.
As he crawled out of the colorful death trap, he noticed how eerily silent it was. It sent a shiver down his spine. The whole Pizzaplex was relatively loud and bright, besides the occasional utility tunnel, and having a main part of it being the solar opposite was even more unnerving and stressful than being chased by the animatronics.
Luckily, it seemed that whatever animatronic was portrayed at the entrance as both wall and screen decor and statue was nowhere to be seen. So he took the opportunity to go straight up to the security desk. He noticed a Freddy head on the wall that he had seen around, but this one seemed to have a flashlight in its mouth. He eagerly grabbed the flashlight and was about to turn it on, when all of a sudden a hand grabbed his wrist. Gregory flinched, but realized that the hand did not hold his wrist tight enough to hurt, but definitely hard enough for him to realize that who or whatever grabbed him does NOT want him to turn it on.
With a shaky breath, he turned around. The hand slowly letting go in order to not hurt the boy. Gregory gasped, covering his mouth to prevent himself from screaming and accidentally alerting the other animatronics of his location, if it wasn't too late already. Before him stood a hunched over, moon themed animatronic with red glowing eyes.
"It's late. Kids shouldn't wander around in the Pizzaplex at this hour." The animatronic said in a quiet, deep, and smooth voice.
"Y- You're not gonna hurt me?" Gregory asked with a shaky voice. The Moon animatronic seemed almost offended at the accusation. It straightened its back and tilted its head. It was TALL.
"Why would I do such a thing?"
"..Everyone else has been trying to get me so far.. Who are you anyway?"
The tall animatronic must've sensed Gregory's discomfort, as he hunched back down. "I am the daycare attendant, Moon. Many also call me by the name of my candy, Moondrop. What about you?"
"I'm Gregory." His shoulders untensed a bit as the other was smaller once more. This one doesn't seem hostile. But better keep his guard up.
Moon's eyes temporarily turned blue, most likely scanning him just like Freddy did.
"You don't seem to have a-"
"I know, I don't have a guest profile.."
Moon touched his 'chin' and made a rumbling 'hmm' sound. "I suppose you may stay here, catch your breath, hydrate, and eat a small snack. My sensors say you're exhausted and dehydrated. But please, keep the lights off." The last sentence sounded more like a plea rather than a warning.
(that applies to you too, reader! Pause here and grab a snack and hydrate. I don't wanna know how long you've been scrolling lmao)
Gregory blushed a bit. The daycare attendant, Moon, was nicer than he thought. Maybe he could afford a short break. He hasn't eaten since last morning and could really use a drink. Public fountains were more disgusting than ball pits and clean water was harder to get by on the streets than food.
Moon gently grabbed Gregory, who yelped in surprise from suddenly being manhandled, and sat him down on one of those weird foam cylinders, which, to Gregory's surprise, were unexpectedly comfortable. He brought him a cup of lemon flavored Fizzy Faz and an apple and proceeded to sit on a cylinder across from him.
"So, Gregory, why are you wandering around in the daycare after closing time and how were you able to avoid me?" Moon asked in a gentle and genuinely curious tone.
Gregory was skeptical at first. Should he tell him? He seemed to be as nice as Freddy, maybe he can help too. He had nothing to lose, except maybe his life.
"..I.. There is this lady.. The security guard.. She's trying to get me. She lured and locked me in a room during daytime and threatened to kill me if I made a sound, but after a while I escaped through the vents and saw Freddy in a maintenance room with his stomach hatch open,,, So I hid in there until I,, accidentally fell asleep…And now everyone is hunting me, except Freddy."
Moon was stunned into silence, only the soft rumbling of machinery from inside Moon was surrounding them. "She…They... What?" Moon raised his voice slightly, making it sound gravely. Gregory flinched a little.
"Sorry, I just… They are usually not like that. Sun also,,,changed…"
"Sun?"
"The… other,, Daycare attendant. We are the same animatronic. He only ever comes out when the lights are on. He has not been himself recently. Scaring children, even going as far as to endanger them. The staff decided to keep the lights off for the safety of the guests. That's why I told you to keep the lights off too. I fear that if the lights were to be turned on, he would hunt you like the rest."
"...Oh..I see,,Thank you for warning me."
"Now, you didn't answer my other question. How did you manage to avoid me? I patrol every time at the end of the hour when the electricity gets rerouted to the charging stations and I have not seen you once despite my infrared sight."
"I...was probably hiding inside Freddy or walking through the utility tunnels."
"That explains that..." Moon internally added checking the utility tunnels to his list as well.
Gregory and Moon sat in a relaxing silence after that. Moon even got him a refill after he was done with the Fizzy Faz. They stayed silent during the whole ordeal, both parties lowkey thankful for the other's silence.
After a few more minutes, Gregory stood up. "I should probably get going, Freddy must be worried about me."
"Of course. I'll escort you."
They walked towards the big double doors, as Gregory reminded himself why he was here in the first place.
"Oh, wait, I need the security badge to get out of here, that's why I came here in the first place." Gregory went behind the security desk to get the badge.
"Wait! The badge is connected to the-"
The Lights turned on, as well as music.
"Light,, Switc-ch- RUN GREGORY- RUUN. HE'S- GAHH-!"
Gregory watched in horror as the Moon themed daycare attendant fell behind the desk, screeching and clawing at his face. But his horror only grew as he fell silent again and instead of Moon, Sun rose from behind the desk.
"A new FRIEN-ND! Let's play some hide and seek! I'll be the SEEK-KER! Okay-ay? Let's starttt-t! O-One, Twooo.." The Sun animatronic was gesturing frantically, voice glitching hard as he held his hands over his creepily blank eyes, counting. His voice was getting deeper each number and Gregory was shaking as he ran off towards the play structures.
"I don't know what you did, but the lights in the daycare are on. I have heard about the many incidents involving Sun, the daycare attendant, and the protocols to keep the lights off. You need to turn off the generators! They are located in the play structures!" Freddy spoke from Gregory's Faz watch.
Gregory already found the first generator and turned it off as Sun reached the desired count of twenty, by which his voice was almost unrecognizably deep and glitched. He sounded like someone else altogether. It sent a shiver down Gregory's spine. He decided that he hated bright and loud places more than dark ones now.
"Rea-Ready or notttt! Here I coMEE!" The animatronic immediately started making his way towards the play structure Gregory was in. Gregory was panicking, as he crawled around to find the others.
He made his way through as quickly as he could, getting one by one.
"Arrre ya ha-haaaving FuN yet? Are y-Ya ARE YA?!"
Gregory screamed as Sun was mere inches away from him. He managed to find all the generators, and was about to turn the last off, but Sun suddenly popped in and blocked his way.
"found you." That was not Sun's voice...at all…
The animatronic crept closer. Gregory's thoughts were going thousands of miles a second. That's when Gregory decided to risk it. He pounced at the Sun themed animatronic, making it hit its head on the generator, which turned it off.
Gregory immediately got off the stunned daycare attendant as pink-purplish sparks flew from the back of Sun's head. Something clicked before the lights turned off again and Sun changed back to Moon.
"... Moon?"
Moon tried to sit up but hit his head on the low ceiling of the play structure. His hand flew up to rub the spot, when he made a confused humming sound and put his hand behind his head, pulling something out. It was a burnt looking chip. He put it in his pants pocket.
"Gregory…" Moon scanned him again. "Thank goodness, Sun didn't seem to have harmed you."
Gregory nodded. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."
"Let's get off the play structures." Moon suggested.
After they got off, Gregory thought for a second. "Sun's voice was really creepy at one point. It didn't sound like either of you."
"Sun can imitate any voice for puppet shows. It's part of his programming."
"No like,, He didn't sound like an animatronic at all! He sounded like an old, grown man who smokes too much…"
Moon was internally more than concerned at that, but decided to not question it any further. "Strange…" Was all he said.
Gregory and Moon reached the doors. "Whenever I patrol, I'll try to help as much as I can. Whatever is happening is not normal…"
"Thank you!" Gregory wasn't very good with thank you's and affection, especially with strangers, but he hugged the Moon themed animatronic nonetheless. Said animatronic hunched over in order to gently hug him back.
"Of course."
Moon opened the doors. Outside was a very concerned looking Freddy. "I knew you could do it, Superstar!"
"Freddy!" Gregory ran up and hugged him as well. Freddy immediately reciprocated the hug with just as much energy.
"Thank you for keeping an eye on him, Moon." Freddy said.
Moon nodded once.
Freddy and Gregory both proceeded to wander off.