security breach: Buddy possession

Chapter Nine: Adjusting

Dr. Deen and the staff had finally started allowing him to wander the Pizzaplex a bit, now that he had met the other animatronics. However he was mostly only allowed in the backstage room, as well as a room they repurposed to simulate vents and other environments he might have to get used to, despite already being used to after his time crawling through vents and tunnels while hiding from animatronics in the building.

He was allowed in the backstage room since they had recently put a drum set in the room. In his time alive, Gregory had never played drums so this was new to him. Some music pieces had been uploaded to his system, which certainly helped, but it was still all a bit intimidating. Luckily for him being an animatronic had perks, including the ability to pick up skills quickly, and memorize patterns perfectly.

He was playing one of the pieces he had been given when he swiveled his ears and heard some metal creaks behind him. He turned around and noticed Freddy there. He was surprised he was here, and stopped drumming, tilting his head before asking: "Did you want to talk Freddy?"

Freddy blinked, and seemed to think for a minute before responding: "yes... there is something I needed to ask you about..." as Freddy wandered over Buddy looked at him. He couldn't help feeling apprehensive. For some reason he didn't want Freddy to know it was him... He still wasn't sure why.

Freddy sat down on a bench nearby and looked at Buddy, before speaking. "How are you adjusting to the Pizzaplex?" Buddy smiled. He actually was starting to really like it here, despite the fact that this was the place he has been killed. "I'm sure enjoying myself. I-" he paused as he notices a Faz Blaster being held carefully in one of Freddy's hands. "Is that a Faz Blaster?" Buddy asked, wondering if it was the one he had been using.

Freddy looked at him and nodded. "It's- something a friend used..." Freddy seemed hesitant as he spoke, like he was uncomfortable with the topic. Buddy's gaze softened a friend... he thought about how he addressed him as a friend, smiling a bit. "I'm sure they're glad your hanging onto it for them." Buddy said confidently. Freddy smiled a bit. "Yeah.. I hope so."

Freddy's ears perked up as if he were remembering something. "I heard Monty frightened you, are you alright?" Freddy asked in a concerned tone. "Oh! Uh... " Buddy trailed off as he remembered how terrified he was of Monty... as he had cornered him in Gator Golf right before he- ... Before I decommissioned him... He failed to feel guilty for decommissioning Monty. He was too terrified of him to feel bad for him.

Freddy waited patiently for an answer, eventually Buddy spoke. "Y-yeah.. I'm alright. But I'm not so sure how I feel about Monty." Freddy was quick to respond. "Please, don't take Monty's actions too hard. He doesn't think about what he does before he does them. I'm sure he never meant to scare you." As Freddy said this Buddy scoffed. All that time of Monty chasing him through corridors left him very certain that Monty had meant to scare him. "I wouldn't be so sure..." he paused and seeing Freddy's anxious expression, he added: "But sure, I'll try not to be a jerk to him. I just- I don't have to like him.

Freddy nodded. That had to be good enough for now. He decided to change topics. "What do you think about Roxy and Chica?" Buddy laid back a bit, more relaxed. "They're both pretty cool! Roxanne talks about herself a lot, but she's actually nicer than I expected, and Chica is really nice and energetic. She just startled me at first." Buddy said and Freddy responded in a more confident, less anxious tone. "They can be a lot to handle but I'm sure you'll warm up to them in time."

Freddy paused and looked at Buddy with a curious expression. "What makes me your favorite animatronic?" Freddy's question caught Buddy off guard, nonetheless he responded. "Oh, Roxanne told you about that? I guess..." He began trailing off. He couldn't just say, "Oh, you're my favorite because I actually know you from my life, bit I'm dead." He was surprised how long Freddy was staying patient while waiting for him to speak. He thought a moment, before responding. "I guess I just felt a connection to you... You're also a lot calmer and understanding than the others." Freddy smiled hearing this.

They sat in silence for a while, before Freddy sighed and began talking again, sounding a bit more sad than before. "You actually remind me of someone... They're... gone.. now, but they told me to say hi to you." Buddy flinched hearing this, his eyes wide. He didn't expect Freddy to actually bring it up. Freddy was looking at him and noticing Buddy's expression. "You... must know about him, don't you?" He looked at Buddy, seeming curious, but anxious at the same time.

Buddy hesitated, before nodding very slowly. "I'm... sorry.." Buddy said hesitantly, unsure how to react to this or what to say. He looked at his hands once again, seeing the strange joints and shape. He wasn't... He wasn't in his own body anymore. Of course he knew this before but still, it felt strange. "Do you know... what happened to him..?" Freddy asked, quietly and solemnly. Buddy gave him a concerned look, before looking to the side. He didn't like talking about this anymore... Plus, it was making Freddy upset.

"I- I.. I d-don't..." He started stuttering a bit, and sounding very anxious. Freddy noticed it and apologized for bringing up the topic. However, he was surprised Buddy was so upset about the topic despite claiming to not know what happened. The two sat in silence for a while. Buddy wasn't sure what to say. "I'll... be right back..." Buddy said, before waving to Freddy. He had left his Faz Cam in Suns room. He decided Freddy might like to have it.

                                                                ~{...}~

Once he came back, without being caught entering the room, he went back into the backstage room. He sat down beside Freddy, who was still there, and handed him the Camera. Freddy's eyes widened as he saw it. "H-how.. how did you find this?" He knew it was Gregory's. It had scuff marks and the strap that was supposed to be on it was broken. "I'm... pretty good at hide and seek." Buddy responded simply.

He was about to go practice on the drums more, but Freddy quickly stopped him, lightly grabbing his arm. "I mean... how did you know it was his?" Freddy seemed very confused and anxious, like he really wanted an answer. Buddy looked him in the eyes before saying. "I suppose just the damage, and a little bit of luck." Freddy seemed unsatisfied with the answer, but said goodbye and started walking towards the door. However as soon as he opened it, Roxy was on the other side.

"Whoooops-" Roxy spoke stepping back and trying to completely avoid the fact she had been eavesdropping. "Just- going in to talk." Roxy scooched past Freddy before he could ask her any questions, and closed the door. Buddy sighed, a bit reluctant to speak with her one on one. "Uhm... Hello.." Buddy spoke reluctantly as she walked over to him.

"You're quite curious, aren't you." Roxy spoke, not returning the greeting. She seemed almost amused. "Huh..?" Buddy was a bit confused. He sort of knew what she was talking about, but all he did was find a Faz Camera. He wasn't sure why she was so interested. "Oh, nothing. I just wanted to say hi." Roxy replied in a laid back tone. "Just to let you know, Chica wanted to give you a tour. I told her you didn't need it because of your built in map, but she insisted."

Buddy relaxed a bit. "Oh, ok. Thanks for letting me know." Roxy smiled, putting her hand in her hip. "No problem kid. I gotta come up with a nickname for you. How about fuzzball?" buddy blinked. wait, what? He thought. "Hold up- I didn't agree to tha-" "See you later Fuzzball!" Roxy shouted happily as she closed the door behind her. Buddy sighed. He had a feeling this would take a while to get used to.

                                                               ~{...}~

Authors note: I'm sorry I haven't posted for so long. I've been extremely busy. I plan to write another fanfiction as well focused around the She Ra reboot, specifically about Entrapta, Hordak, and Beast Island. Thank you for all the support! I came back to 61 notifications though- wow. Remember, you're a superstar, and your imperfections are beautiful.