There were two places I wanted to go: Bonnie's Bowling Alley and Vanny's hideout. I wanted to find Bonnie's tape for Freddy. Besides, if Vanny was after Bonnie, I assumed there'd be some clues about it there. As for the hideout, I thought maybe Monty could bust down the door and we could get a look inside.

But, of course, things couldn't be that simple. The moment I stood up from Monty's chair, I got incredibly dizzy and knocked down his chair with me when I fell to the floor. He helped me up, asking me if I was okay. I told him I was fine, just dizzy. He gave a curt nod, but I knew what he was thinking. I definitely had some kind of head injury that was making me dazed and nauseous. I had to fix everyone here before I fixed myself.

I told him the places we needed to visit, and he seemed hesitant to come along to Bonnie's Bowling Alley at first, but after some persuasion, he agreed. I thought about going alone, like how I left Roxy for the dance floor or Freddy during Gator Golf, but all the other times the animatronics have left me alone for a brief moment, it hadn't been very pleasant, and with my newfound shaky self, I don't think I should.

When we left Monty's room and started walking towards the entrance once more, I tried to keep myself balanced, but it ended up being tougher than I thought. I stretched my arms out of my sides to try and keep myself stable. Monty noticed and asked, "Do you want me to carry you?"

"No," I said, putting my hand up to him, "I can walk just fine." Monty's face filled with doubt. He extended his arm out for me to grab hold of. I rolled my eyes, irritated and embarrassed, but even so I accepted his offer and let one of my arms wrap around it.

The light in the lobby was blinding. Fluorescent light and neon colors felt overwhelming, and I had to cover my eyes and look at the floor to keep myself from getting another headache.

When we walked by Glamrock Gifts, Monty turned to it and said, "I've got an idea. Wait here." He sat me down by the fountain and walked into the gift shop. I didn't argue, I really didn't have the strength to. I kept my eyes on the stranded stroller next to me. I thought if I looked at something that was still, I could keep myself from feeling dizzy again, even if the sound of the fountain was distracting.

Monty came back with two things in his hands; a baseball cap and a water bottle. The hat was Monty themed. The cap had two eyes, its bridge had two fangs near the end, and fake nostrils stood at the end as if it was the top of Monty's mouth. It looked rather silly, it wouldn't be something I'd normally buy. He put it on my head and said, "It'll block some light out." He handed me the water bottle too. Its design had the whole gang on it with an orange background. It was heavy, and I could hear the water splash in it. Monty must have filled it up in the kitchen above the gift shop.

I hesitantly took a sip of water. I felt disappointed in myself for being so weak. Sure, I'd gotten several outward wounds during my time here, but this head injury was really wearing me down. We hadn't even made it to the elevator before I felt like my head was shattering. I thought I hid it well while I was in Monty's room, and maybe I did, but I was laying down the whole time, and his room was dark. The moment I exert any energy I just felt like collapsing.

I took Monty by the arm again and we made our way to the elevator. The ride up was awkward. The silence was nice on one hand, the less stimulation the better I felt, but it made the ride feel empty, as if a part of it was missing. "We should go to Bonnie's Bowling Alley first," Monty said, interrupting the silence. "It'll be easier for you."

That was probably true. Vanny's hideout was in Fazer Blast, and while that place is fun, it isn't exactly the best place to go to in my condition. It's full of flashing neon lights and tons of sound. I just nodded, but I appreciated Monty thinking of my health for me.

Bonnie's Bowling Alley was pretty standard, as far as bowling alleys go. Its interior was so normal compared to the other places that it actually felt a bit eerie. Aside from the massive illustration of Bonnie on the wall, it felt just like any other bowling place you could find. Some of its decor was 80's inspired, with small diner stools along the left of the room by the counters.

"This place is kinda cool," I said, somewhat awestruck. It's the most ordinary room, which made it stick out to me so much. I realized how much I missed normalcy. I let go of Monty and slowly walked over to the railing, viewing the alleys. The dispensers were full to the brim with colorful bowling balls. The screens were turned off, though if they were on they'd just displayed the score.

I suddenly remembered Chica's story. She told me of the time the group was playing when Monty accidentally broke the board with his brute strength. I looked through all the alleys, trying to find any sign on a patched up floor.

Monty walked up beside me. "You see that alley over there?" he said, pointing towards the second alley to the left. "We were playing a game when I broke the floor," he said. I already knew this story, but I wasn't going to stop Monty from retelling it. Besides, it'd be nice to hear his point of view. Chica was an outsider when it came to the fight afterwards.

From a first glance, the floor of the alley looked normal, but if you looked closely enough, you could see a bit of discoloration. "Freddy got so mad, it was hilarious," Monty said, laughing a bit. "Bonnie insisted we fixed it together, but we did a pretty bad job. Employees ripped it out and replaced it properly after we tried."

I giggled at the thought of the two of them repairing the floor. Now that I know what their personalities are like, and that they fought the whole time–according to Chica–I could definitely see why Chica thought it was so entertaining, especially with the addition of their work being so bad that it had to be replaced afterwards.

Monty didn't mention the fight, but I don't blame him. It didn't sound like it was physical, but it seems embarrassing to scream so much to actually break your own voice box. That or Chica lied when she told me her side, but I'd rather believe she wouldn't lie to me, especially about something that didn't really concern her.

"Let's look around," I said. I grabbed my new water bottle and had another sip. I can't keep feeling sorry for myself. It sucked that I'd injured myself, but if I wanted to accomplish my goals I was gonna have to overcome it, and water is nature's medicine... Sort of. It's often overlooked, but being hydrated can really help. "I'm gonna check the kitchen. If you see anything suspicious, or find his tape, just holler," I said.

I started making my way down to the indoor food booths. "You sure you wanna look alone?" Monty said. I looked back at him. I was feeling a bit better, especially since this wasn't as colorful as the rest of the pizzaplex, and I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't as fragile as I felt. It's just a kitchen, and if there's any trouble, I can call out for help. Monty won't be far, unlike how Roxy and Freddy were a whole floor down.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I said, "I'll yell for you if I need to." Monty didn't look convinced, but he didn't argue with me. He gave me a thumbs up and turned to examine the concessions by the back wall.

When I made it to the small diner, I used the counters to keep myself straight. By the wall was a long red curtain that circled what I assumed was a small stage. There was a sign saying that the attraction was closed. I wondered if Bonnie stood on that stage during his days.

The back room was much smaller than I anticipated. It was one long hallway that connected to the counter. At the end of the hallway were piles upon piles of trash with roaches crawling over it. I covered my nose from the smell, a bit worried that it'd make me nauseous again.

I was still feeling a bit hungry; a cookie from Mazercise wasn't much of a breakfast. I opened one of the refrigerators in the back, but all the food inside was rotten and dripping. I closed the door before I picked up on its scent. How long has it been since anyone has been here? I thought maybe the animatronics didn't like coming here since the death of Bonnie, but I'm starting to think no one has been here in a long time. Why, though? Bonnie may be gone, but the bowling alley itself was totally intact.

I walked out of the kitchen, feeling both disgusted and disappointed in my findings. Monty was opening the lockers by the shoe booth. He seemed particularly interested in one of the lockers, leaning down and sticking his hand far in it. I leaned against the wall and walked over to see what he was investigating.

"What're you looking at?" I asked. He turned around, retreating his hand from the locker.

"There's a tunnel inside. Look," he said. I bent down to look inside, and sure enough it stretched far into the wall. There wasn't any light passing through, so it looked almost endless. "Woah," I gasped.

"Did you find anything?" he asked me as I examined the walls of the locker. I shook my head lightly–too much would've worsened my headache. "Just a ton of roaches. It's disgusting back there," I said.

I took a deep breath, and turned my shoulders so I'd fit inside the locker. As I tried to squeeze in, Monty grabbed me by the arm and stopped me. "Woah, what are you doing?" he said.

"I need to see what's on the other side," I answered.

"Just one issue," Monty said, "I can't fit in there. I can't help you if anything goes wrong."

I scoffed at him, "I'll be fine. What could possibly be on the other side, anyways?" I certainly wasn't imagining something that could kill me would be there. Any room this secretive wouldn't have anything of the sorts inside.

Monty growled, but he hesitantly let me go, moved back from the locker, and sat down. He had a snarky look on his face as he motioned for me to crawl through. I tried to fit through the locker once again.

The locker itself was taller but thinner than the vents. I didn't have to crouch so much, but I did have to move sideways. This awkward movement made me advance slower than through the vents, but it worked.

When I made it to the other side, I realized this tunnel wasn't endless, but rather the exit was concealed by a poster. It had a flickering light, and I lowered down my Monty hat to block it from my eyes.

I picked up the poster I had just knocked down and flipped it over. It was just a standard poster of Bonnie promoting safe bowling habits. I dropped it, losing interest in it, and looked around.

It looked like some kind of hallway in the back rooms, but I wasn't sure what area it was connected to. Maybe it was part of Bonnie's back rooms, but then why was this area so secretive?

There were some tools spewed across the floor, and I carefully stepped over them as I made my way down the hallway, hoping not to accidentally trip on one of them. The lights got dimmer as I continued forward, and eventually I came across a door. I tried to open it, but there was something inside that prevented me from swinging it open quickly. I pushed as hard as I could, and eventually I'd gotten the door wide enough that I could fit through it.

It appeared to me like a makeshift parts and service room. It was smaller, and no animatronics were near, but hundreds of metal pieces laid on the floor with blueprints of intricate mechanics. There was a desk with what looked like an unfinished piece. I stepped over the parts carefully once again like I had with the tools, but this time it was a bit more difficult. There were more things to avoid and no wall for me to use to balance myself.

When I made it to the desk, I sighed with relief. I looked at the blueprint on the desk, the one that this hunk of metal was most likely using as a reference. It looked like some sort of giant claw, extending from an elongated pole. It was like lobster claws, pincers fierce enough to pierce through skin. I touched the claw lightly, it's surface smooth as a knife.

I wasn't a moron, I had a feeling Vanny was the one behind this room. But why? There's a great parts and service room in the basement full of even more equipment. What's the point of hiding some work up here when there's plenty of hiding spots in that giant basement? And what was this contraption even for? It wasn't the full thing, just a part of a bigger mechanic. I thought for a moment.

Vanny had made some alterations to Chica. It made her limbs extendable, reaching far distances, with the drawback being her inability to run as much due to its weight. Was this the next upgrade? Would it be for Roxy instead?

I thought about destroying it. If I was right, then it'd give me more time to save Roxy from Vanny's altercations. But if I destroyed it, I'd imagine Vanny wouldn't react very nicely. I've been incredibly lucky with my interactions with it, and with my declining stability, pissing off Vanny could be the difference between a relaxed and unbothered Vanny–like how it'd been when we met in Roxy's Raceway–or an enraged Vanny, who'd run full speed at me, when I can't run now in fear of tripping over myself.

My head started pounding as I pondered what the better option would be. Against my better judgment, I tried to pick it up and throw it against the wall, but it was heavier than I thought it would be, and I decided to just drop it from where I was standing. I shouldn't be surprised, the claws were about as big as my torso. I hoped maybe it would shatter, but it was much more durable than I'd predicted. I tried to crush it with my own weight, but that didn't work either. I wasn't going to be able to bring it to Monty. There's no way I could carry it through the hallway and then push it through the locker tunnel. Defeated, I decided it was time to return to Monty.

As I climbed back through the locker, I saw Monty through the other side. He reached out a hand, and when I grabbed it, he pulled me through the tunnel. "Did you find anything?" he asked.

"It was weird," I said, "It was a room with a bunch of blueprints and parts. I think Vanny's creating an upgrade for Roxy."

"An upgrade?" Monty repeated.

"It altered Chica, it must be planning to do the same to Roxy," I said.

"Really? How?" Monty asked. I looked at him confused. "Haven't you seen Chica lately?"

He shook his head, "No, I'd been too busy hunting you down."

"But last I saw, Roxy and Chica were together. Haven't you seen them?," I said. Monty knew of Roxy's blindness, so if he saw her, he definitely saw Chica. Though now that I thought about it, they weren't necessarily together, they just were in the same room before I led Roxy down to the burning furnace in Roxy's Raceway.

"No," Monty said, "Vanessa was the one who told me about Roxy's condition. I never saw either of them."

"Vanessa?" I guess it made sense, I did find her just outside of Roxy's Raceway, she must've stumbled upon Roxy. But wouldn't she have found Vanny and Chica inside as well? Or were they fast enough to evade her? She may have given me mercy and let me stay in the pizzaplex longer, but my suspicion of her was beginning to rise again. Just when I thought I could trust her.

"Well, it doesn't matter," I said. "Basically, Chica now has extendable arms that reach pretty far. And she's completely under Vanny's control."

"So what was the upgrade there?" Monty asked, pointing into the locker.

"Some claw... thing... I'm not quite sure, to be honest," I explained, "but it was big enough to grab me." I thought about the pincers crushing me, scared that it may become a reality within the next few hours.

"But then, why have it here?" Monty asked, as if I had the answer to that. "I don't know. There's a perfectly good parts and service just down a few floors," I said.

"No, that's not what I mean. Why here?" he said. He separated his arms to indicate he meant specifically the bowling alley. "Bonnie had super hearing. Why put it so close to him?"

He's right. If Vanny was trying to be secretive as the entrance suggested, why use the room close to someone who could very much hear everything it could do?

I was about to say something when I heard something distant from behind us. I tried to look, but the counter was too high, so I climbed onto one of the chairs to look over. I almost fell over due to my dizziness, and Monty rushed to my side and balanced me. "Hey!" he yelled. "Warn me next time you decide to break your neck!" I ignored him and looked over the counter, viewing the bowling alleys from afar.

They stopped when I looked at them, but there was no mistaking it. Endoskeletons were climbing out from the pit at the end of the alleys where the pits and bowling balls would fall into. I pointed towards them. "Look," I said, "endoskeletons. They stop moving when I look at them. Vanny must be hiding something back there."

I kept my eyes on them as Monty spoke to me. "They're just alleys. There's no room to hide anything," he said.

"Then how'd they fit back there?" I said. It may be true that the normal bowling alley isn't very deep, but if being here has taught me anything, it's to expect the unexpected.

"I need to get over there," I said. I crawled on top of the counter and dropped down to the floor. Monty rushed around to help me up. I still wasn't in prime condition, and my dizziness was going to get the better of me if I didn't find a way to tame it soon.

"No," Monty said, brushing off the dirt from my shirt, "we're leaving." He took me by the arm, but I ripped it out of his grip.

"Don't you see? Underneath the alleys are a perfect hiding spot. We have to check it out!" I said.

"Vanny will find out we're here any minute, we have to be gone before it gets here," he said. I shook my head.

"But even if Vanny comes, can't you just fight it?" I asked. Monty was much bigger than Vanny, and he was designed to ward off offenders. He is a security robot, after all. If anyone can take their chances against Vanny, it's him.

"It's not that easy, kid," he said. He reached out for me but I scooted back.

"Are you scared ?" I taunted him. "C'mon, you're twice the size and built for fights, you can take some rando in a bunny costume."

"There's more to it than that–"

"So you are scared? But we have to look! We could find something game-changing!"

"Gregory–"

"I don't get it, what are you so afraid of?"

"I lost !" Monty snapped. "I lost the last time I fought Vanny, and now Bonnie's dead and everyone thinks it was me!"

I stopped. When Monty tried to protect Bonnie at the time, he didn't realize what he was up against. Vanny is invisible to the animatronics, for one reason or another, and he hadn't been expecting the culprit to be impossible to see. He must've held that guilt for so long. Did telling him it was Vanny ease his mind or just worry him more? Especially since he's specifically designed to protect. How did his AI react to failing?

"My friends are malfunctioning and suffering," he continued. "They're big and strong too, and Vanny still managed to get to them! It's only a matter of time before it comes for us, and your life isn't something I'm going to gamble on."