The stage lights flickered once. Twice. before settling into a dim, humming glow. Dust motes swirled in the air, catching the low light like ash. The robotic bear stood center-stage, mic in paw, one foot forward like he'd just taken a bow. The grin carved into his muzzle didn’t twitch, didn’t falter. Not that it could.

The others were already powered down; Bonnie slumped by the curtain, Chica leaning just slightly off-kilter. But Freddy remained, eyes wide open, glowing faintly in the half-light. He didn’t move. Not yet.

The soft whirring from within his servos stuttered. Once smooth, the sound now sputtered in uneven bursts, like a record skipping. His arm, raised halfway as if about to gesture to an invisible audience, jolted and then froze mid-air. His top hat cast a long, sharp shadow across the floorboards.

A faint buzz came from his chest. Feedback from a mic no longer in use. No voice followed it.

His head twitched once, then slowly tilted down, as if bowing again. The bright pinpricks of his eyes dimmed, fading like dying stars, until nothing was left but two dark, hollow circles. The lights above flickered once more and cut out completely.