Forever To Be Free. (Finale of That Time in 1987)

The Light

Chica's POV

WARNING: FEELS

The highlight of Chica's day was certainly the point where an animatronic chicken opened the door to her room and told her she would be executed in a matter of hours.

But she was lightly suspecting it. If she was an evil man who wanted nothing more than the slaughter of a couple teenagers, she would want to do it in the most formal way. And it helped much more when she began to think of it in another way. Toi. Chica smiled a little when she thought of the little girl's bright face, her rosy cheeks. Chica nearly forgot the time when she found her in her living room, soaked in a pool of her own blood. But that didn't really matter.

She was dead.

But Chica would be able to see her again. Finally, after months of suffering, Chica would welcome death and soar into the afterlife. And when she got there, Toi would be waiting for her.

It had been about an hour since the chicken had told her about her own execution. Oddly, with every second that passed, her anxiety lessened and lessened, replaced by a soft, delicate peace. It wasn't that she wanted to die. She wanted to see her sister . . .

So in a way, she did want to die.

Chica stayed in her corner, listening for the hard footsteps of Jonathan and his animatronic friends. Hunger attacked several times, but it would be worth the wait. After several hours of thinking and contemplating her own death, the footsteps finally echoed down the hallway.

Boom . . . boom . . . boom . . .

Death.

Boom . . . boom . . . boom . . .

She was ready.

When the footsteps were at their loudest, they finally stopped. A human voice -- Jonathan -- instructed his animatronics to open the door. A little anxiety returned as Chica watched the door retreat into the ceiling. An animatronic chicken and an animatronic bear stood at the doorway like guards, Jonathan directly in between them. The man smiled a little and walked slowly into the room with Chica.

"Hello, Chica," he greeted.

Chica remained silent.

"You may be expecting me to hurt you right now, but that's going to wait for later. My animatronics are here to escort you to your execution. But first, I would like to speak with you for a little bit."

"About what?" Chica asked.

Jonathan smiled and began pacing a little. "Let's take it back to . . . hmm . . . that time. In 1987. Do you remember that?"

Chica gritted her teeth. "Yes. I do."

"Well, I would like to say that looking at it from now, it all seems like a bunch of little games, right? I mean, your friend Bonnie touched that painting of me and it sent her into this little game I had set up. Well, it was more of a manipulation. You remember my kids, Spring, Mari, Gold? Well, I decided to manipulate them into creating that painting and putting it where I knew there were Guardians -- your school. I was able to use my little mind tricks to get you guys into that room, get Bonnie to touch the painting, and everything changed from there.

"My plan has always been to bring down all of the Guardians, making me the most powerful of them all. All I must do is take every power that you are capable of holding and use it to my advantage. I'll be able to create, destroy . . ." He hesitated and smiled a little. ". . . heal. . . . But once I am able to hone all of those abilities, power will be mine! I can end all of the terror on this planet. I can bring the world the closest it's ever been to paradise. All I'll need is a sacrifice. You and your friends will be able to give up your lives for the sake of something greater."

"No!" Chica spat. "You can't do that! You don't realize how much destruction you've brought upon the world! How many millions of people have died in your search for us! I will give my life for the world, but I won't give it when the consequences are vain. Your intentions are vain!"

Jonathan chuckled. "Yes . . . but just remember your little sister."

Reality smacked Chica in the face once more, the thought of her little sister instantly changing her heart. She sighed and looked down, forlorn. "Alright, then," she murmured. "Let's get this over with."

Chica stood up and walked forward, Jonathan leading her from the room. The hallway looked familiar. It was the same as the one in Fredbear's Family Diner -- fancy carpets and metal cells lining the walls. When Chica looked behind the chicken animatronic, Bonnie stood there, forlorn. Her hands were bound together by bright purple ropes. Chica turned and looked behind the big bear. Freddy stood as well, but his head was held high. He looked into Chica's eyes, smiling a little.

Chica felt small bands wrapping around her wrists. She looked down, alarmed, but saw that they were just the same as Freddy's and Chica's purple bands. She turned and walked around the bear and right behind Freddy. She looked down, tears forming in her eyes.

"Let's go," Jonathan commanded. The chicken and Bonnie started walking from the cell, past Chica, and down the hall. The bear circled around Chica and Freddy. 

The brunette turned and looked at Chica, smiling slightly. "This may be the last time we see each other, but I just want you to know that I love you."

The tears in Chica's eyes began to slip out. She sobbed and threw her arms around Freddy, burying her face into his chest. "I--I love you, too . . ." She whimpered for a few seconds before she felt a hand whack her shoulder. She turned around, slightly embarrassed. 

Jonathan stood there. "Let's go, kids."

They each nodded, another sob escaping Chica's throat. She turned around and walked down the hall towards the door, Freddy following closely behind. Chica kept her head low as she walked right behind Bonnie. They stopped for a moment before Jonathan approached the door. He opened it, revealing a familiar stage. The room was brightened a little, but only by the door at the entrance. 

Fredbear's Family Diner.

The animatronics escorted them out onto the stage, lining the children up execution style. Chica stood in the middle of her friends, which hit her with a sickening thought. She would have to see one of her friends go, and she wouldn't be able to say goodbye to the other. 

But it was alright.

They would see Foxy. They would see Toi. Everyone they'd lost would be with them once again. Chica felt peace. Chica felt . . .

Wait.

But what about everyone else? Freddy had told her once that he'd promised his mother that he would go home. She'd gone to his funeral once. She was not going to another. And Chica's mother as well. What would she think about hearing of her daughter's death? And Foxy . . . his mother hearing of his death would be too much to bear. Bonnie had the same situation. They all had parents and families on Earth. 

And they weren't going to let it go that easy.

Chica allowed a burning fury to fuel her energy. She looked down at her audience -- the man who had started it all and a few of his hench-animatronics. She looked at them with anger. Pure anger.

She looked to Bonnie and frowned, shaking her head. The purple haired girl looked back, slightly confused.

"Kids . . . this is the beginning of a paradise. You are truly sacrificing yourself for the better of this world. . . ." Jonathan continued to ramble on, but Chica completely lost her focus on what he was saying.

She looked back to Bonnie and mouthed the words, This isn't the end. Think of your family!

Bonnie's eyes widened. She looked down to the ground, surprised. Chica watched with satisfaction as the same anger she had burned in the girl's eyes. Chica looked to Freddy and mouthed the same thing.

". . . has lead to this point of . . ." Jonathan rambled. 

No. 

It wasn't the end.

And if it was going to end, it would end in flames.