Roxy's Raceway was still under construction, but according to Roxy it was functional. The garage door that led to it was boarded up with signs saying the attraction was closed, along with a small pathway inside formed by the barricades.

After a bit of squeezing through the construction, we eventually made it to the raceway. The track itself looked polished, except for the occasional road blockage. It had tire props to the sides and there was a giant cutout of Roxy near the ceiling with two racing flags.

A recording of her voice rang through the room, welcoming us to the track. There were food stands surrounding the entrance, and the track itself was below, connected by a set of stairs. There were four garage doors, each filled with equipment ranging from protective gear and the karts themselves. Roxy put on a helmet on me and helped me put on elbow and knee pads.

"I don't see why all this is necessary," I said. "Karts flip over sometimes, you gotta protect your joints," she said, lightly patting one of my elbow pads. "That's why they installed my new eyes, to see if there were any kids trapped underneath if a crash happens."

Roxy said her eyes were installed a couple months ago, so that must be around the time construction started on the raceway. We walked over to the garage loaded with karts, and as Roxy was pulling one out, she realized something.

"Huh. You're too short," she said.

"What?"

"You're under the height limit, you'll have to ride with a driver assist," she explained. "That's so lame! Can't I just ride with you?" I said. She laughed, "I take up a whole kart! Relax, there's one around here somewhere."

We roamed around the perimeter of the raceway, and near the back of the room we found the kart with the driver assist, however its head was off its body and therefore wasn't functional. I groaned, even more annoyed than I was before. "Hey," Roxy said, equally irritated as I was but was trying to appear calm, "we'll just look for the head. It's fine." I was starting to doubt that.

The area around the race track was horribly cluttered with leftover construction supplies such as bright orange cones and piles of wood and metal. We searched together but also separate; in the same area and close enough to talk, but oftentimes far enough that it'd be necessary to raise your voice so the other could hear. I took of the helmet as it was blocking my vision. While I searched, I couldn't get my mind off of one thing. Roxy's past.

She explained she was Foxy's replacement after Pirate's Cove was shut down after it stopped making enough money, and that she's also the newest animatronic amongst the five. Even so, she joined before Bonnie's death, since he's in many of the photos from her scrapbook. What kind of relationship did they have? Was it as positive as Chica's and Freddy's? And what's the deal with Freddy and Roxy not getting along?

The word "replacement" circled around my head. Of course, she was quite literally Foxy's replacement in terms of Fazbear Entertainment giving the boot to Foxy and bringing in a shiny new animatronic, but she wasn't like him at all. She wasn't a new pirate themed robot or a somewhat scary attraction. She was modern and attractive, built to bring a different audience. In other words, she's original.

"Roxy? Can I ask you something?" I asked. I looked over my shoulder to see her.

"You just did, ha," she snickered, turning around to look at me. She saw the serious look on my face and straightened up. "But, uh, sure pup. What's up?"

"What was it like being Foxy's replacement? Like, was it tough?" I questioned. Her face shifted into a surprised expression. "I-it's okay if you don't wanna answer. Never mind, it's a stupid question," I said, turning back to continue looking for the driver assist's missing head. She stood up and started walking over. "No, no, it's not stupid," she said, and she knelt down beside me.

"You wanna know what it's like?" she whispered secretively. I slowly nodded. She sat down more comfortably, resting her back against the stacked wooden planks behind her.

"First, I tried to be just like him," she explained. "It was hard, I never got to meet him so I had no idea what he was like. He was a pirate, so I tried to be all high and mighty like I was better than everyone else, but I just scared the kids away."

"I really struggled to find my place. The company really wanted me to embrace my role of 'a sheep in wolf's clothing,' but that was humiliating. Chica was the one who eventually told me that I didn't have to be either of those. I just had to be," Roxy said. She chuckled to herself for a bit, "It's so simple but it was really eye-opening. I stopped pretending to be Foxy, I stopped acting like how the company wanted me to. I embraced myself because–"

"Because you're original," I interrupted her. She looked at me with a stunned face, and then softly smiled. "Original. I like that," she said.

She laughed nervously to herself. "Sorry, that probably wasn't what you wanted to hear."

"No, no, I like talking to you," I said. "You don't talk down to me like Freddy and Chica do." I know they're taking care of me, but the way they speak feels as though they think less of me, as if they were just supervising a child. Roxy felt like a friend.

"It's called having no filter, and the company thinks it's a liability," she joked. I laughed along with her.

"Why were you so curious about it?" she asked.

"It's just, I think I understand, in a way," I said. "It's different, but it's also the same."

"What is?" she asked. Her tail swooshed behind her as she turned to face me more clearly.

"Well, uhm," I stumbled upon my words. I've never really talked about this before, not even with friends from school. I wasn't sure they'd understand, or that anyone would really understand. "When my... brother disappeared, everything changed. My dad left, my mom started drinking. I think she saw me as his replacement," I confessed.

A weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I didn't even realize how heavy a burden this laid on me. "Oh, Gregory..." Roxy said. She reached out a hand and tried to comfort me, but I swatted it away.

"Don't feel bad for me. I-I don't even remember life from when he was here. I was six at the time, everything before that day is a blur," I said. I hugged my knees close and continued my story. "He had his birthday party here. My parents dropped me off at the daycare and let him and his friends hang out in the pizzaplex. At the end of the day, no one could find him."

Roxy gave me a reassuring pat on the back. I didn't want to her to see me anymore, so I turned my head around so she couldn't see me.

"I tried so hard to be just like him, even if I had no idea what he was like. I just wanted my mom to feel better. As I got older, I started looking more like him, and my mom refused to even look at me. It was like my mom wanted me to be him, but knew I never would be," I said. I fought back tears and wiped my face down.

"He was sort of a child genius, but I just don't have the same kind of smarts. He was perfect, while I'm painfully mediocre. I'll never live up to my brother's potential. And my dad–" I paused for a moment to take a deep breath. Thinking about my dad made me angry. He left us when we needed him most. "He was the worst. Up and left when things got too much. I don't even know what he looked like. All of his pictures have been either deleted, thrown out, or burned. Good riddance."

I chuckled anxiously. I thought maybe I should shut up, but it felt so good to just say it out loud for once. I couldn't stop myself. "And, of course, I love my brother, because he's my brother, but I hate him at the same time. He left and took everything with him. My mom, my dad; he took them both, just in different ways."

Roxy pulled me into a side hug. I sniffled continued rambling. "It's kinda funny. I'm here because I was looking for any clues about my brother. I had a fight with my mom and came here. I thought maybe if I gave her some closure, she could... Why can't she see me?"

We stayed in that spot for a while. I listened to Roxy's simulated breathing. I think I understand why it's been added now. She took my face by her hand and looked at me.

"Repeat after me; 'I'm the best,'" she said. I rolled my eyes, "Roxy, that's dumb."

"C'mon, say it! I'll say it. I'm the best! Your turn," she said.

I sighed, "I'm the best." She gently shook me by the shoulder, "Yeah, you are!" She brought me back in for a hug.

"I'm sorry your parents are so cruddy," she said. "You know what? It's official!"

"What, you're my mom now?" I said. I remembered Sun calling Roxy my mom the other night.

"What? No, too much responsibility. I'm your cool aunt," she said. I giggled as she reached out a hand to help me stand up. I brushed off the dust from my clothes and wiped my eyes one last time.

After all the mushy stuff, it was back to searching for that robot head. After what felt like another hour, but was probably closer to half an hour, I found one near one of the staircases in a box. It said "Driver Assist" faintly on the box, and the amount of rage I felt coming upon it was immeasurable.

"Roxy! I found it!" I yelled at her. She came running across the raceway, and when she arrived she examined it.

"It's certainly a head... but it needs some repairs. There's a driver assist head repair station up in the dance floor." I looked at her with confusion plastered all over my face. "Why is there a driver assist head repair and why is it located on the dance floor ?" I can understand having repair stations for the robots here in the Raceway, by specifically the head? And why up on the dance floor?

"To annoy you," she joked. She tossed me the robot head. "There should be a dance pass in one of these garages, but uhm..." she trailed off.

"What?"

"I, uhm, hate being on the dance floor," Roxy said. "The DJ is the worst. He's so... big!"

"Oh, well, I can go to the dance floor by myself then–"

Roxy interrupted me. "No no no, I'll put my fears aside for a couple minutes. I'll take you there," she said. We quickly searched the garage rooms for the dance pass, and once we found it we went up to the elevator that led to the dance floor.

Roxy trembled in front of the elevator while we waited for the doors to open. "Roxy, I can go by myself, it's fine," I said. "No, it's my responsibility, I'm taking you there myself."

Responsibility. I'm a responsibility. That's what must've been running through Freddy's and Chica's heads when they were thinking of taking care of me. I'm not just some helpless kid, I can take care of myself when I need to.

"Roxy, stay here. I'll repair it myself," I said.

"No, I–"

"I know what you need to do, but I also need to do this on my own. Just keep watch, I'll be back quickly," I assured her. She quit her protesting and nodded. When the elevator door opened, I stepped in alone.

"Just be careful, it'll be at the very top in the back. And if that DJ chases after you, don't look back!" she warned. The door closed before I could say anything back. My interest has been piqued about this DJ.

I knew of a dance floor here at the pizzaplex. Chica had mentioned it as one of the activities we could do together while she was babysitting me. I felt my blood pump through my veins as I waited in anticipation to reach the end of the elevator ride.

When the elevator doors opened, I was greeted with a white fountain in the middle of the plaza. To the left were a bunch of arcade games, the middle floor led to some bathrooms, while the right was what was probably the dance floor. I wanted to repair the robot head as fast as possible, but even so I took a quick glance at it, just to see what it was like.

There was a giant animatronic laying upon the stage as though it were asleep. It looked similar to the spider animatronic that had been chasing me through the vents. Its legs were bent awkwardly, trying to fit in the stage. I can see why Roxy was so scared of it. If it stood up in the middle of the dance floor, it'd take up all the space. I can't believe something that big is deemed safe enough to dance with kids.

I crept away and climbed up the stairs. Up here was also covered in arcade games, all laid out with a windy path. Roxy said it would be at the top in the back. I looked around at the top of the stairs; there was a red glowing sign all the way to the right. I moved through the path and opened the door.

It was some sort of storage unit. There was a door directly to the left, but beside it stood a long room filled with outdated and discarded arcade games. I opened the door I saw to the left.

Sure enough, it was a security office. There was this machine that was about half the size of the capsule in parts and service. There were words painted in red that said "Dispense Head," and so I did as told and put the head in.

I waited for a couple seconds, listening to the mechanical whirls of the machine. Suddenly, the lights went out, and a voice played through the room. "The West Arcade was not shut down properly. Some data may be corrupted. Initializing startup sequence. Before proceeding, reset the audio manager circuit breaker, located next to the dance floor." Well, shoot. If I wanted the machine to work, I'd have to go all the way back down and complete the startup sequence. Machines are so complicated.

I couldn't really just sit and complain, so I left the storage unit and walked back to the dance floor. The DJ was still there, "asleep." There was a small elevated platform to the wall, and there was a circuit breaker up there. I walked up the steps and pulled the breaker back. The voice returned, "Great job. Safety protocols deactivated."

Deactivated ? I turned around, and to my surprise the DJ was gone. I didn't even hear it leave! That thing is huge, and still manages to be silent! "Pram zipped. Run DJ protocols. Reticulating splines."

"What does that even mean?" I yelled back at the disembodied voice. Music started playing through the arcade. My heart started pounding. That DJ was going to find me sooner or later, I just had to hope to find it first before it spotted me. I was starting to regret not having Roxy with me. I wondered what she was doing right now. My anxiety kicked in; what if she changes like how Chica did? I left Chica alone for a few minutes before she suddenly became whatever she is now.

"Please reset circuit breakers to all zones. Three zones remain: janitorial service, arcade, arcade." I didn't have time to think about Roxy possibly turning on me. There are three circuit breakers, one located in a janitor's closet while the other two are somewhere in this massive arcade.

I saw the bathrooms when I first arrived on this floor. They were just across from me now. I ran through the hallway, dodging the S.T.A.F.F. bots that had accumulated. I guess I may have tipped them off when activating the startup sequence. I wondered who else heard this.

I didn't have time to ponder over that. I ran into the bathroom, and there I saw the door to the janitor's closet. Inside was a circuit breaker. Quick and easy. I flicked the switch and walked out.

A hand poked through the bathroom door. Not a small hand, a giant, white gloved hand, attached to giant metal bars. It was the DJ's hand, and it was reaching in to grab me. I ran to the other side of the bathroom and made my exit through the other door. Its body took up almost the whole hallway. I snuck past, and I was about to start climbing the stairs again when I spotted one of the breakers on the first floor. I spun around and sprinted towards the breaker, but when I got a look around the arcade, I saw Monty searching around the arcade machines. I hid in one of the strollers.

Monty? What the hell is he doing here? Things just keep getting worse! Why didn't Roxy warn me? Did she not see him through the walls? What am I supposed to do with him here?

I took deep breaths and tried to calm down. There's no way he got up here through the elevator during the time I was inside the storage unit. Roxy was guarding it, and she would never let him pass while I was here. That meant he was already inside this area when I activated the startup sequence. I didn't even notice him! Did he see me? No, he would've chased me down. If I've passed him without him noticing me before, I can do it again. But first, I had to pull the circuit breaker next to me, and then sprint up the stairs and hope he doesn't see me.

I hopped out of the stroller and switched it. Quickly, I crouched down and made my way around the arcade games up to the other stairs. The DJ's music played louder. I was just going to have to tune it out for now. While climbing up, I saw Monty's eyes dart around the room. He must've heard me switch on the breaker.

One more should be left, and since there were already two downstairs, one up here only made the most amount of sense. I stepped up onto the platform and looked around. I saw the red light of the breaker to the left. I hopped over the counter and ran towards it, turning it on. "Rerouting encryptions," the voice said. "Almost done. There is a software update available. Reset the final circuit breaker located at the south end of the arcade maintenance hallway." That's where the machine for the driver assist's head was!

The DJ's music was now thundering loud, and I wanted to just cover my ears until it was all over, but with him approaching I had to hurry over to the storage unit behind the arcade. I saw him crawl on the walls and into the giant holes within them. I ran through the maze of arcade games, eventually making it back to the hallway. When I didn't find the circuit breaker near the entrance, I crept deeper into the hallway, and at the very back I saw the red light. I approached it, and just as I was about to flip the switch, I saw the VHS tape beneath it. Out of habitI picked it up and flipped the switch. "Well done. The arcade has successfully rebooted. Return to the security office."

The earth shook. I looked behind at the giant hole in the wall, and the DJ's face stuck out of it. My eyes widened. It was time to run.

With the cassette in hand, I sprinted forward. The DJ started lunging items at me, hurtling them into my path. I had to climb over some of them, and others I had to find a way around. He was coming in close, and once I reached the end of the hallway, I took the sharp turn and into the office.

The music slowly got quieter, and now I could think again. I took a deep sigh of relief, until I remembered Monty was just down the stairs. I was going to have to act quickly.

The bot's head had been repaired. I took it out of the box and mentally prepared myself to meet face to face with Monty. Maybe it won't be so bad, he did seem genuinely concerned for Chica. Though, if he's like Roxy, he'll probably beat me into a bloody pulp before I can explain myself. It's probably best if I try to avoid him.