Sweet Decay. //

✧. Prologue

Cold.

Mangle awoke to a mechanical shrill, their gears shifting and clicking as the icy air swept through her white fur. Wires and scattered parts lay around them as their single golden eye scanned the room; Dark, tattered posters peeled from the smooth, checkered walls once adorned with children's artwork. Mangle's room, known as 'Kid's Cove' by the restaurant, was nothing short of dreary and cold. They hated the cold.

It was late, and the muffled sounds of workers could be heard in the hallways, cleaning while humming along to old pop music. Mangle couldn't wait for them to leave- a feeling of disdain seeped into her thoughts as memories of her own dismantling replayed in her mind. She rested her head against the frigid tiled floor, contemplating if she should do her daily rounds once the clock struck midnight. After a moment of thought, they sighed.

Lying here won't change anything, she told herself, forcing her body upward despite the strain. Rising from the floor felt more tiring with each passing day. Once they had managed to climb up to the ceiling, they cracked open the vent cover to squeeze inside. Battling the icy gust from the air conditioning, Mangle settled in until the hourly bell chimed.

Finally, it was midnight.

Leaving the vent systems, they decided their first stop would be the Prize Corner to see Mari, who was busy reorganizing the toy shelves with a furrowed brow.

"Mari! How a-are you tod-ay-ay?" The static in their voice filled the air. The puppet spun around, quickly softening at the sight of Mangle.

"Oh, Mangle! Hi there," Mari breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't mind me; I'm just trying to sort these plushies into their right spots... again."

"Did the ki-kids reach up at th- at th- at th-..." She paused, shrinking with embarrassment at the stutter.

"It's okay, Mangle. It wasn't the kids, but the workers. I think it's safe to say Jones' way of organizing really gets under my suit." Mari said with a soft smile. "Speaking of that..." she trailed off, reaching into a box tucked away at the back of the lower shelves. When she emerged, she held up a small, golden rabbit plush.

"WOAH! You actually found it?!" Mangle's face lit up.

"Of course! Although he isn't sold for a reason anymore, I'm delighted to say you can finally add him to your collection now." Mari handed over the toy, which Mangle carefully wrapped in her wires to keep it safe.

"I-I've been searching for him in boxes e-everywhere! Thank you!! Oh, just wait until G-Goldie sees this!" Mari's contentment halted at the name.

"Mangle, maybe don't show him that," She urged gently.

"Wh-why not?" Mangle looked into Mari's eyes and caught a brief glimpse of dismay.

"... It's vintage. We wouldn't want him going off on another 70s tangent now, would we?" Mari joked, drawing a grin from Mangle.

"You're right, I'll hide him away!" Mangle waved goodbye, clutching the toy tightly as she left.

The hallways were quiet, the soft buzz of overhead lights drowned out by the commotion in the main stage room. Making her way backstage, Mangle spotted her friends, the Toy animatronics, stretching after a long day of entertaining. Frederick was packing away props while Bon and Chici tended to themselves.

"Mangle! There you are!" Frederick greeted while loosening the black bowtie around his neck. "You should've seen our show today, it was fantastic!"

"Wow, I wi-wish I could have," they replied, ears drooping slightly.

"Oh, don't feel too bad. He's just exaggerating," Bon interjected, shooting a look at Fred before asking Chici for some makeup wipes.

"Yeah, it's not like we did anything too different from our usual routine," Chici chimed in, "aside from a few song requests."

Mangle could not remember her old routine, having been switched to the 'take apart, put back together' attraction early on. She often wondered if she would have sung and danced, but her voice box and condition didn't allow for such things now. A gear clicked, reminding her of the original animatronics.

"I think... I'll go try making somethi-thing in the kitchen later. Any re-re-requests?" She spoke slowly, pushing through the irritation of her glitchy voice.

"Oooh, crêpes please! You make them the best!" Chici exclaimed, with Bon echoing her enthusiasm.

"Just remember to clean up afterward," Frederick reminded them. With an annoyed look, Mangle turned and grabbed a dusty purple cloak before heading out of the room as quickly as her metal limbs would allow.

Before heading to the kitchen, Mangle made a spontaneous decision to sneak into the Parts & Service room. The original animatronics were elsewhere, giving her a chance to scavenge for any spare parts that might be lying around. In front of the door, they faintly heard voices drifting from within. Leaning in closer, she quickly realized a heated argument was taking place just beyond it. Mangle lodged into the corner of the hallway, shrouded in shadows as they listened intently to the conversation.

To her surprise, it was Mari and Goldie who were caught in a disagreement. Mangle had never thought that the two would argue like this. What started as a seemingly harmless question had spiraled wildly out of control, resulting in a confrontation. Mangle couldn't help but feel intrigued, their curiosity piqued by the unexpected tension.

From behind the door, she listened intently as the sharp tones of their bickering echoed through the room. It was clear that Mari was highly against Goldie's idea, something relating to leaving the pizzeria. Mangle, while curious, had never ventured outside the walls of Freddy's. Still, their imagination danced at the thought of what lay beyond—lush green fields, clear blue skies, and perhaps even the sounds of laughter that didn't echo against the tiles of the pizzeria. In the back of their mind, they didn't mind the idea of joining him wherever that may lead.

"I want him to be here, to, to see him again! Please, just let me!!" Goldie pleaded, desperation lacing his words.

"No, we can't trust him!" Mari shot back, her tone sharp with disapproval.

"Come on, Mari, please! It's been YEARS." He argued, his frustration bubbling over. "I'm different now, and so is he—"

"God, he was f- he's deranged!" Mari chided, her voice firm and resolute. "I don't EVER want to see him in this pizzeria, I will not let him!"

Mangle felt the tension linger in the silence that followed.

"...Then don't." Goldie's voice dropped to a low growl, barely containing his distraught. He opened the door, shooting one last determined glare at Mari before he left. "I'm going to see him anyway."