Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

12-15-15-11  1-20 23-8-1-20 25-15-21-22-5  7-15-20-20-5-14  25-15-21-18-19-5-12-6  9-14-20-15

Player stood casually in front of the exit, taking notice of their surroundings - the interior of the supposed schoolhouse of which the game took place. They looked forward, seeing another person nearby. A tall, polygonal adult bearing a simplistic green-shirt, blue-trousers, and brown-shoed attire, with no hair aside from a single strand and eyebrows. His red lips curled to a smile, his large, black eyes focused onto Player, and he gave a somewhat unrealistic wave, calling out to them.

"Oh, hi!" He exclaimed, though with a janky tone, "Welcome to my schoolhouse!" That must be Baldi. With a small nod and wave in return, Player tried to head forward, but couldn't. Baldi noticed.

"What's wrong?" He asked, "Can't move?"

Player nodded.

"Oh my!" Baldi started again, "You must've forgotten to go to the How To Play section! If you like, press Escape on your keyboard to go back and check it out! I'll wait!"

Player thought for a moment, before doing just that. Their body disappeared, while Baldi waited for their return as promised. Meanwhile, Player floated in the How To Play screen, reading over the controls before inspecting the plot.

They soon gave an unimpressed stare from the blatant use of excuses done by the friend character. However, their job done, they returned to the main menu, cranking the mouse sensitivity to a comfortable level for good measure. At last, they went back into Story Mode. Or a new instance of Story Mode...?

Baldi saw Player reappear unceremoniously, watching them as they tested out the controls, repeating his first words from before. In response, Player gave Baldi a thumbs up, going on their way.

"You need to collect two notebooks before you can use these doors!" Baldi called out moments later, when Player tried using the other pairs of yellow double doors. Turning back, Player instead went into the hallway directly behind Baldi, entering the first room they saw.

Inside was a regular classroom, full of desks, plus a chalkboard. Player noticed one of the notebooks floating upon the teacher's desk, and approached it with ease. Looking beyond, Player read the chalkboard, it only consisting of "Math = More Math = Math Math Math Math Math" scribbled around. Player shrugged, grabbing the notebook, noticing how heavy it felt.

Inside was a strange but colorful tablet, favoring green as the primary color. The text at the top read, "You Can Think Pad™". Player promptly booted it up, figuring this was the part of the plot where Baldi gives those fun trivia challenges.

From Baldi's end, his Think Pad vibrated, signaling him that Player had found their own. A link between the two connected, and from each side, they saw the face of the other appear on the bottom left corner of the tablet.

"Now it's time for everybody's favorite subject; Math!" Baldi exclaimed once more from the Think Pad, "Answer the three questions correctly, and you might get something special!" Baldi then went on to explain how to use the Think Pad, with Player nodding in understanding. Then, came the three questions, all of which Player answered with ease.

With each correct answer, Baldi would then praise Player on a job well-done. After the last, a message appeared on the tablet in place of the math problems.

"WOW! YOU EXIST!" Player wasn't certain how to take that, but shrugged it off.

Following this, they heard Baldi call out for them from outside the room.

"You did great!" He had started, "Come here and get your prize! A shiny quarter!" Player went out to retrieve the quarter, before Baldi began again. "Just click on it with the left mouse button to pick it up! Then, when you find something you can use it on, right click on the object with the quarter selected! That's how you use items, you know!"

With another nod, Player got the quarter, going off towards the other door in the hall. They took a bit of time to read a poster consisting of school rules. No running, no entering faculty-only rooms, no bullying, no drinking, no escaping detention, and no fourth wall breaks.

The last one confused Player, but they let it go and headed into the second room. Another classroom, the chalkboard writing being "Sorry, was too lazy to add more subjects". Player took the notebook, finding a second Think Pad. The process started again.

However, upon the third question, Player's face fell as something was very, very wrong with the equation. The numbers jumbled and overlapped each other, the operators were hard to define, it took up two lines of space, and Baldi trying to read out the equation didn't help matters one bit.

It was like someone took his voice at the most crucial moments and applied several noise filters, and yet, Baldi was still smiling away as though nothing was amiss. Not sure what to do, Player inputted a random number, as they were sure the problem couldn't be solved. The friendly jingle that had accompanied Player up until this point hung and ended. All was silent.

Baldi's expression changed, to one of anger. A message appeared in place of the math problems once again.

"I HEAR EVERY DOOR YOU OPEN"

Player heard a strange sound from afar, it becoming a slow rhythm. They exited the room, Baldi nowhere to be seen. However, they too weren't where they used to be, either. It's as though something had changed...

Confused, Player went to continue on their way to find the rest of the notebooks.

They wandered around the school, almost in an exploring fashion. When they had found the third notebook, Baldi was nowhere to be seen on the Think Pad. Nevertheless, Player answered every question with ease (aside from the garbled one, of course), a third message appearing.

"I GET ANGRIER FOR EVERY PROBLEM YOU GET WRONG" Angrier? Who? Baldi? That didn't sound right.

While adventuring, Player found a few more items to use: a Zesty Bar, and a BSODA. They weren't sure what they were for, but an after school snack could never hurt. Opening the BSODA, Player had intended to drink the beverage, only to be surprised when nearly half the can sprayed them in the face.

They stumbled backwards, bumping into someone.

"No drinking drinks in the halls," Spoke the person, and the next thing Player knew, they were in a new room of the school. In front of them was another adult. "Fifteen seconds. Detention for you. You should know better."

As the person left them alone, Player saw a timer appear, counting down from fifteen as stated. Player soon remembered that there was a rule against drinking, so they shrugged it off.

While waiting for the timer to tick down, Player decided to look upon the portraits on the walls, reading the many descriptions. As it turned out, the adult who caught Player was the Principal of the Thing.

There was one for at least three other students, consisting of one called Playtime, another named It's A Bully, and the last being Arts and Crafters. The only other apparent staff member was a literal broom named Gotta Sweep. There was even a portrait for the First Prize of the Science Fair!

Player laughed a bit, finding this school, and game, rather silly. In fact, this sort of thing could've easily been seen in a children's TV show.

At last, Player looked upon Baldi's portrait. The Think Pad had not exaggerated - apparently he can hear every noise and knows who did it.

While Player had become so deep in thought, they never heard the warning signs until it was too late.
With the rhythmic smacking sound of a ruler hitting a palm, Baldi entered the detention room, cornering Player with ease. Player finally heard the noise and turned to the source, only to be 

S C R E E E E  E  E  E  E   E   E   E   E   E    E    E    E    E    E    E

Immediately following, Player frantically looked around, finding themself floating in the main menu screen, hearing the familiar welcome jingle. Still shaken by the event, Player could only stare at the innocent-looking Baldi image, not sure what to make of anything.

An eternity later, Player finally went to Story Mode once again. When there, Player scanned the starting area, finding that everything appeared back to normal. Yet, Player didn't feel normal.

"Oh, hi!" They heard Baldi exclaim, "Welcome to my schoolhouse!" He would've stopped there, but noticed Player's frightened demeanor and his face expressed concern. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Player would've preferred a ghost. Giving an uneasy expression and a shakey thumbs up in response, Player started on their way again, watching Baldi closely and walking as far from him as possible. Baldi noticed this too, but decided to not press Player for information.

The first notebook went by without a hitch, which made Player begin to think about whether or not the last attempt was a fluke, or a glitch, or something abnormal. Baldi called out for them for the quarter again, but Player ignored him and went straight for the other classroom.

"A shiny--..." Baldi paused from this, very much confused. "Well, that's alright! You can pick it up later, if you want to!"

Player's brief theory was proven wrong, for the same garbled question popped up. Player held the Think Pad for a long time, not inputting anything. From the bottom left corner, Baldi spoke up.

"Would you like me to repeat that for you?" Player, without thinking, gave a frantic nod. "Here goes! BZZZZZZ, plus, BZZZZZZ, times, BZZZZZZ, equals...?" The operators alone weren't enough to comprehend the equation at hand, though it seemed like Baldi was supposed to give harder challenges down the road.

The most odd thing of all was how Baldi, despite his apparently excellent hearing, didn't realize what he was actually saying. As Player stalled, Baldi said one more thing, in a reassuring manner.

"You got this; easy!" He cheered lightly, "I believe in you!" As nice as that would be under other circumstances, that only turned out to be salt in the wound, for when Player finally inputted something, it was incorrect like before.

Player didn't look at the change in Baldi's face this time around, dropping the Think Pad to the ground and bolting. Like before, they started to hear the slow, but steady tempo of Baldi smacking his hand with the ruler, being sure to pay attention to it at all times from here on out.

The quarter appeared nearby them, Player deciding to grab it against better judgement. 

1-14-4  25-5-20  25-15-21  4-5-3-9-4-5-4  20-15  11-5-5-16  16-12-1-25-9-14-7  1-14-25-23-1-25

Chapter Text

23-8-1-20  1-18-5 25-15-21  8-15-16-9-14-7  20-15  7-1-9-14

Player inspected the school rules poster, to memorize all of them to ensure less detention time. Their current highest notebook score was four at this point. With them, they carried another pair of school snacks and the quarter from the beginning.

After the inspection, Player headed out, continuing their search for the notebooks, watching out for the sounds of the ruler. However, it became obscured by another sound - a music box. Then, a voice.

"Let's play!" Squealed a young girl as she approached Player, who jumped at the sudden sight of Playtime. Once she caught up to them, she continued, "Jump five times in a row! Once you do, I'll let you go!" followed by a short, teasing laugh.

Player had no choice but to comply, though mistimed the last jump.

"Oops, you messed up!" Playtime noticed, "Let's try again, from the top! Ready?" Annoyed, Player started again. Though, they weren't sure if it was their jumping or Playtime's noise, but Player could hear Baldi starting to draw near. Getting nervous, they tried to finish up quickly, only to fail once more.

Player would've been fuming if not for the fact that, moments later, Baldi

S C R E E E E  E  E  E  E   E   E   E   E   E    E    E    E    E    E    E

From the main menu screen, Player yelled in frustration. Said frustration stayed on their expression as they entered the game for another attempt, punching the Story Mode button.

"Oh, hi!" Baldi called out for Player as usual, "Welcome to my- You look angry! Are you alright?" Once again, Baldi noticed the oddity of Player's mood, quickly commenting on it. Player ignored him, heading for one of the doors. Watching them leave, Baldi whipped out his Think Pad, looking through something.

Upon his screen, he was able to see the statistics of every one of Player's playthroughs. It was listed as such:

01. PLAYER - 0/7 - 00:00:35
02. PLAYER - 3/7 - 00:04:28
03. PLAYER - 4/7 - 00:02:53
04. PLAYER - ?/7 - ??:??:??

Of course, the latest one was the current playthrough.

"Hmm," Baldi said loud enough for Player to hear, "This says that you got four notebooks in almost half the time you got three! You're getting really good at this game! But, what happened?" No response from Player, who seemed to breeze through the first notebook in mere moments. As they exited the classroom, Player continued to the second one.

Baldi barely had any time to process what was happening before Player inputted the third answer. The change was like the flick of a light switch, though Player didn't seem to care at this point.

Two more notebooks later, Player felt back on track, taking care to avoid Playtime whenever possible. In the classroom to the fifth notebook, they discovered another item - a pair of Safety Scissors. At this time, Player only held the quarter and a can of BSODA, so they took the scissors to see what they would do.

Fifth notebook found, and with it came a faster Baldi, whom Player almost forgot about by now. After examining the chalkboard reading "Doug, dab again and pay.", they made headway to continue searching. Playtime appeared, Player having to jump rope with her. By the fourth jump, Player remembered the scissors, trying them out immediately.

"Ohh!" Playtime chimed in an upset manner, "That makes me sad!" With a cut jumprope, she ran off, probably to cry somewhere. This brought strange satisfaction to Player, who gave a mischievous expression before continuing forward.

Along the hallway, Baldi approached, the sound of the ruler getting ever louder. At this, Player turned, open firing the can of BSODA right on him. Baldi had finally been slowed down, having to double back to overcome the sudden spray of the blue sugary beverage. Triumphant, Player turned forward, starting to continue once again, only to hear a voice.

"LOOKS LIKE IT'S SWEEPIN' TIME!" Was followed by multiple "GOTTA SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP!"s. With no reaction time, the broom from the portrait rounded the corner and sped right into Player, sending them yelling all the way down the hall - and right into Baldi. In one fell swoop

S C R E E E E  E  E  E  E   E   E   E   E   E    E    E    E    E    E    E

Player stared at the Story Mode button for a long time, before headbutting it in defeat.

"Oh, hi!" They heard Baldi drone, "Welcome to my schoolhouse!" As usual, there was an unusual mood that Baldi noticed in Player. "You seem bored! But don't worry, I'll make sure you have fun while you're here!" Player walked by him without so much as a gesture, making Baldi think for a moment. He checked the statistics again.

01. PLAYER - 0/7 - 00:00:35
02. PLAYER - 3/7 - 00:04:28
03. PLAYER - 4/7 - 00:02:53
04. PLAYER - 5/7 - 00:04:02
05. PLAYER - ?/7 - ??:??:??

It was at this moment Baldi realized something.

"Say, mind if I ask you a question?" He asked out of the blue, just before Player had entered a classroom. Player hesitated, before looking at Baldi at last, seeing confusion and a bit of concern in his face. "You're doing so well, but you keep leaving my game. Why is that?"

Leaving? Now it was Player's turn to appear confused.

"See, in your latest playthrough, you got five notebooks!" Baldi continued, in attempt to clarify, "You only had two more to go, and you were doing so well! What's happening, why do you keep starting over? I understand wanting to play multiple times, but to not finish one first? It doesn't make any sense..."

Player wasn't sure how to approach this. Eventually however, all they could do was point directly at Baldi, who gasped in shock.

"Me?" Player didn't continue the conversation, leaving him to do the first notebook. Aside from the friendly jingles, there wasn't much noise aside from Player opening and closing doors. Just as Player picked up the second notebook, they jumped as Baldi abruptly slammed the door open, reaching Player.

"If I'm the reason you keep leaving," He proclaimed, "Then I'm not doing a good enough job as your professor! From now on, I will try harder to guide you to the end!" He ended his words with pride, passion igniting his being. When his only reaction from Player was a stunned gaze, he added, "Your speechlessness says it all, I know! We're going to have so much FUN!"

Player gulped suddenly. Baldi's inner fire went out.

"What's wrong?" He asked once more, "Did I scare you? Sorry, that was very unusual..." Meanwhile, Player debated opening the notebook for the second Think Pad. It was either that and try to run from the inevitable, or reset the game and pretend to be enthused. Or, perhaps if Baldi could see the error of the question, all of this could finally be put to rest...

With this in mind, Player opened the notebook, booting up the Think Pad. In response, Baldi stepped back to allow Player some space, keeping quiet to let them focus. However, he watched them intently, then gaining a confused look when Player turned the Think Pad around to display the third question.

"Oh, have you been struggling with this one?" He asked calmly, Player nodding profusely. "That's right, you were in a previous playthrough too! Well, I think it's very simple. After all, it's just BZZZZZZ plus BZZZZZZ times BZZZZZZ! Not too hard, especially not for you!" Hearing that come out of his mouth in person was even more terrifying.

"Would you like a hint?" Baldi asked after a bit more silence, Player immediately nodding again. "Multiply the second and third numbers first! Then, add the combination to the first number! That's how the math operators work, you know!"

That didn't help at all, so Player had no choice but to steel themself for their fate, not sure if they could bring themself to look back at Baldi after entering an answer. With great effort, it was submitted. Silence, before Player managed to look at Baldi, immediately growing afraid from what was unfolding before their very eyes.

Baldi had stumbled, holding his head as... Something overcame him. His form glitched about as the shine in his black eyes dulled into a void equal to a black hole. Anger slowly appeared in his expression, as though his willpower had been trumped by... Whatever it was. Suddenly, Baldi was stood straight up, glaring down at Player as the ruler materialized in his hand, lifted with clear violent intention.

No words were spoken, but the mood and tension of the air was all that was needed. This wasn't normal anger, this was almost like... Possession. If that were true, it explained Baldi's behavior so, so much.

Player already felt trapped, and not knowing what else to do, they threw the Think Pad at Baldi's malformed face, stunning him momentarily. Player then made haste out of the room, running until they simply couldn't. In their speed, they forgot to grab the quarter. They didn't care, they had to go.

What followed were brief appearances of playthroughs.

05. PLAYER - 6/7 - 00:05:01

Player ran into the Bully.

"Give me something G R E A T..." Bully said to Player. Player checked their pockets, having absolutely nothing. "What? No items? No items, no P A S S..." There was nowhere to go, and Baldi got in close. Player feverishly pushed at Bully, who didn't budge. "Stop that, you W E I R D O..."

Player did, covering their face in defeat as

S C R E E E E  E  E  E  E   E   E   E   E   E    E    E    E    E    E    E

Player half heartedly pressed the Story Mode button.

06. PLAYER - 6/7 - 00:05:45

Player entered the Faculty-Only room, finding new items they never knew about. A Yellow Door Lock! As Baldi got near, Player used it on the yellow doors in front of Baldi, causing him to pound at the door a few times in frustration, before detouring. Player ran while they had the advantage. However, they were caught.

"No running in the halls!" Claimed the Principal, sending Player to detention. Unfortunately, the detention room was very close to the location Baldi and Player were in, so that meant

S C R E E E E  E  E  E  E   E   E   E   E   E    E    E    E    E    E    E

Player slammed their fist into the Story Mode button.

07. PLAYER - 7/7 - 00:06:17

Player, after much struggle, managed to collect the seventh notebook. Baldi's ruler sped up in tempo considerably, while his voice boomed throughout the entire school.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" He began, "YOU'VE FOUND ALL SEVEN NOTEBOOKS! NOW ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!" A few moments later was a short laugh, leaving Player fearful. They bolted for the nearest exit, only for something even worse to happen.

The exit turned into a wall with "EXIT" written over where the doors should've been, the whole school became red, and Player could swear Baldi was approaching quickly. Too stunned and scared to move, all they could do was feel the wall, before pounding it with their fists a few times with yells of despair and anger. They didn't even notice when

S C R E E E E  E  E  E  E   E   E   E   E   E    E    E    E    E    E    E

Player shakily pressed the Story Mode button.

08. PLAYER - 7/7 - 00:07:56 ★

Baldi continued to wonder why Player kept restarting his game, even when they clearly got all the notebooks and only needed to leave the school to complete it. He unfortunately didn't have time to think about it much more as, per sixth question usual, his mind abruptly shut off.

Later, Player is seen trying to hold onto some sort of strategy, finding First Prize and encouraging it to hug them down the long hallways, opposite of Baldi's direction. At the second fake exit, Player heard a very loud, very frightening hum reverberate through the school, although everyone else within it didn't even notice.

With the combined use of First Prize and BSODAs, Player managed to keep Baldi at bay, finding a third fake exit. With not many other places to go, Player left First Prize behind, entering the cafeteria.

"I have lost you!" First Prize uttered electronically, "I don't like that..." Player paid it no mind, rushing for the exit that appeared in the room. Out of stamina. Player rummaged in their pockets, finding a single Zesty Bar. Desperate, they ate it, suddenly feeling energized again. No more time. They bolted for the door.

They touched it.

Suddenly, Player found themself in a victory screen, complete with "Congratulations! You won!". Player was about to celebrate, when they heard something.

"Wow, great job," Spoke the voice, "Please try and do worse though I need to-" He continued, but was interrupted by a loud beeping noise. Suddenly, Player wasn't relieved.

The game wasn't really over.

4-15-14-20  25-15-21  11-14-15-23  20-8-5-18-5-19  14-15  8-1-16-16-25  5-14-4-9-14-7

Chapter Text

9-6  25-15-21-18-5  8-5-18-5  20-15  19-20-1-25  20-8-5-14  4-15  25-15-21-18  23-15-18-19-20

01. PLAYER - 0/7 - 00:00:35
02. PLAYER - 3/7 - 00:04:28
03. PLAYER - 4/7 - 00:02:53
04. PLAYER - 5/7 - 00:04:02
05. PLAYER - 6/7 - 00:05:01
06. PLAYER - 6/7 - 00:05:45
07. PLAYER - 7/7 - 00:06:17
08. PLAYER - 7/7 - 00:07:56 ★
09. PLAYER - ?/7 - ??:??:??

Player appeared, which Baldi hadn't been expecting. He lowered his Think Pad, though smiled widely at Player, greeting them all the same.

"Oh, hi!" Was his signature start, "Welcome to my schoolhouse! Back so soon? Well, regardless, I just wanted to say that I'm so proud of you! You beat my game! You should be celebrating!" From nowhere, he pulled out a noisemaker and blew on it once. Player didn't react much, but Baldi was too joyful to notice.

"Maybe next update, they could introduce party mechanics!" He continued, thinking of the possibilities, "We could invite everyone, celebrate things, play more games... Oh, wouldn't it just be the BEST?" It took a few moments more before Baldi realized Player was nowhere to be found.

"... Where'd you go?"

Meanwhile, Player held up the first Think Pad, thinking about what they were told just moments before.

Do worse. Do worse. Do worse.

On what, math? Probably. Since it's true that Baldi gets angrier (and faster) from every incorrect answer... This'll be a ride, for sure.

Player booted up the Think Pad. Baldi showed up on the other end, as usual.

"Ah, I see!" They heard him say, "Maybe you thought it was so fun, that you decided to-" He cut off mid sentence as Player inputted the wrong answer for the first question. Normally, this would trigger his anger, but shock seemed to allow him a few moments more as Player intentionally incorrectly answered everything.

A new message appeared in place of the math problem.

"I HEAR MATH THAT BAD"

Player gulped. Baldi's Wild Ride has begun.

09. PLAYER - 4/7 - 00:03:14

More faculty rooms, with other items. While in detention for entering the forbidden rooms, Player put their new tape item in the room's tape deck. It emitted a strange tone, as Player watched Baldi march right past the detention room.

Player didn't think about it hard enough and left detention too soon, resulting in Baldi catching them only to

S C R E E E E  E  E  E  E   E   E   E   E   E    E    E    E    E    E    E

10. PLAYER - 6/7 - 00:06:39

Player saw a giant phone in the end of the hall. Using the quarter on it turned it into a tape deck, emitting the same tone. Unfortunately, Baldi was already in range, so it wasn't long until

S C R E E E E  E  E  E  E   E   E   E   E   E    E    E    E    E    E    E

11. PLAYER - 7/7 - 00:07:52

Player had decided to do something unusual; taking their time on the notebook collecting. They kept out of Baldi's radius until they realized Baldi was slowing down. To pass the time, Player allowed Playtime to play with them, rereading the portraits in the detention room, and scouring the faculty only rooms.

This loose, slow playthrough resulted in Player finding out that, by just standing next to Bully long enough, Principal could show up and bust him for bullying.

Everything went wrong after the seventh notebook, because Sweeper decided to barge in with Baldi in tow and

S C R E E E E  E  E  E  E   E   E   E   E   E    E    E    E    E    E    E

Player slammed both their fists on the Story Mode button, first in a while.

12. PLAYER - 7/7 - 00:10:24 ✦

This one had been the most nerve wracking, and Player wasn't sure if they could ever calm down.

They had a good thing going, First Prize as always being a big help, but then Player encountered someone they'd never before.

Arts and Crafters.

With a strange sound, he got to Player, who was now very close to Baldi, and he was keeping up well. On instinct, Player open fired a BSODA they had, only having a Zesty Bar left. With no First Prize, Player ran and ran and ran, reaching the last exit but running out of stamina. They gobbled down the Zesty Bar in a flash and managed a beeline for the exit.

Player threw themself through the doors, landing on their front on the floor. All was quiet as Player took this time to catch their breath, before shakily getting onto their aching feet. In front of them was a sign.

It contained Baldi's head, him frowning sadly, with text around him.

"You Won! There's room for improvement though... Go see Baldi in his office for some tips!"

Upon reading those words, Player was astounded. No. This couldn't be happening. Baldi's Office? It sounded more like Baldi's Death Trap to Player. However, they made it so far and got here, so they decided to see this through to the end, whatever lay in store.

Turning around, Player walked down the empty, silent hallway, a solitary door at the end, aptly named "Baldi's Office". Player shook with fear, wondering what terrible things would be on the other side of the door, but made themself open it anyway. It seemed like it was merely a stretched wall, but Player could go through it somehow.

Inside was a single desk and chair, a floating banana, a chalkboard with colorful wordart, and a new character Player had never seen before. Player would've approached the character entirely, but got distracted by the sight of a warped, stretched out Baldi on the right. He didn't move, didn't act, didn't speak, just stood there as a flat, warping image. Then, Player's attention was caught by the new character again, because he spoke up.

"Oh jeepers, you found me," He began, "Good job, I'm glad you found me, because I have something kind of important to say." He was interrupted by a loud beep, but he continued. "It's about th-the game... Don't-" A beep. "Uh, Eh. Don't-" Another. "Don't, just..." He laughed.

"This is... This is probably looking pretty ridiculous," He continued with another beep, "Don't tell anyone about this game. You wanna... Don't, don't bring attention to yourself. Destroy it, destroy the game. Destroy the game. Before... It's too late." A beep. "What I'm saying is... Is get out of this, while you still can." Another beep. Player found that sentence familiar.

Baldi had said it, too.

"Just, don't..." The character started again, "Just know that you probably- No, I'm not saying that I'm someone who's trapped inside the game, no, that would be ridiculous. No I'm..." A beep. "I can't... This is... I'm not... The game was... Kind of..." Another. "I got really corrupted. Yeah, I..." Another.

"I don't know what to say," He continued on, "Just... Just trust me. We gotta..." A beep. "This isn't... This seems... I me-I mean it seems... ohh." Another beep, but he seemed to realize something. "They'd know I... They intentionally... That's... I guess... I can't- They can't tell you, and some... Stuff is classified. I can't say it." A beep. "I wish I could say more. I can't talk normally. I-It's corrupted. There's..." Yet another beep. "...Yeah..." Once more.

"Just... Close the program," He started again, but was finishing, "Destroy it. Never come back."

Immediately afterward, Player had to cover their ears as a long, loud beep sounded. Next thing they knew, it was dark. The game had closed itself, probably at the request (or due to the corruption) of the new character.

When the game opened again, it was as though that didn't just happen. Player floated there in the title screen for a while, before contemplating pressing the Story Mode button.

Destroy the game, eh? Player figured it only meant to uninstall it, and then to never return to it. Although, this game had caused so much suffering, confusion, impossibility, and two-facedness that...

Player pressed the button, a sinister expression growing on their face. They'll destroy the game alright, but in a "different" sort of way...

13. PLAYER - ?/7 - ??:??:??

Baldi was inspecting the last complete playthrough statistic, when he saw Player enter the game. He greeted them as always.

"Oh, hi!" He waved, "Welcome to my schoolhouse! Say, it looks like you completed my game again, but I can't seem to figure out this symbol here. It's not like the other ones where you get a star for completion, and a different star for perfect completion-" Player wasn't there again. Baldi blinked, confused and starting to feel upset. He wondered why Player kept seeming so distant, even ignoring of him.

To see the strange character again, Player decided to get all the problems wrong once more, using similar strategies they had before initially, meaning to take their time. After the first Think Pad was completed, Player scowled down at it, before tossing it at a wall. As it clattered to the ground, Player approached it, stomping on it repeatedly as it broke into pieces. For every notebook afterward, the same process was done.

Later on, in their possession were two quarters, and a Disorienting Tape. Nearby was the Principal, who made his rounds as normal, and the large phone Player saw previously. Player slipped in one of the quarters, initiating the strange tone sequence. Immediately after, they ran to the Principal, who put them in detention for running.

Right in the room, they went to the tape deck, inserting the Disorienting Tape. Now, two were playing at the same time. This caused some reverberation, the angered Baldi somewhere falling to his knees and covering his supposed ears in pain, becoming a confused mess. When detention ended, Player left the room, continuing on their quest.

Along the way, they used the other quarter for a BSODA, found a pair of Safety Scissors, and... An item they'd never seen before. It was a pencil. They wondered what to do with it. Down the hall was Playtime, who felt especially playful, approaching Player quickly. Just as quickly however, Player cut her rope, she looking shocked and upset. She ran off, crying.

Another smirk emerged on Player's face, deciding to try the pencil out on the walls. They scribbled the following messages:

"PROFESSOR BALDI IS EVIL", "EVEN IF HE LOOKS FRIENDLY", "I'M BREAKING ALL THE RULES", and "JUST TRY TO STOP ME, I DARE YOU".

Just at the end of the hallway was Bully, who saw Player write all that stuff, not seeming impressed.

"Dude, what are you doing," He said, "That's just asking for T R O U B L E..." In response, Player gave him a nasty glare, approaching and standing next to Bully, throwing the pencil at his feet. Bully seemed confused at first until Principal made his rounds.

"No bullying in the halls!" He announced, busting Bully.

"I'll get you for T H I S...!" Bully exclaimed to Player, who just looked smug. Vengeance was getting to their head.

Just then, they heard the sound of the ever-so-familiar ruler from the opposite side of the hall. Baldi was coming, and Player knew it well. They turned around, approaching an intersection before Baldi could. They pulled out the can of BSODA, and Baldi paused, readying to cover his face from the impact, but Player had something else in mind.

Player tossed the entire unopened can to the floor, it rolling toward Baldi's feet. Confused, Baldi looked at Player, but moments later came a

"GOTTA SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP!" From the intersection of the hall charged in Sweeper, finding the can on the ground and sweeping towards it. Baldi let out a yell as he and the can were swept away from Player. In all the commotion, the impact had been so sudden, so unorthodoxically triggered...

That Baldi had dropped his ruler, it hitting the ground in his wake. As Player used Spacebar to wave goodbye to Baldi in sarcasm, they too noticed it on the ground. With the tiny bit of time left before becoming out of sight, Baldi watched with horror as Player picked it up. The moment they did, their whole body flooded with... Something. Also, unknownst to them, an extra strand of hair erupted from their head.

The rest of the notebooks, and destroyed Think Pads, went on without any issues. Player hardly needed any help from there, triggering each fake exit until the cafeteria. At this point, they carried Baldi's ruler and a Zesty Bar, just in case anything happened. Their expression was quite off-putting now, bearing happiness, but it was empty.

They entered the cafeteria, finding one last unusual thing. At the doors was Baldi, waiting for them while wielding a metal yardstick. He stood there, not chasing or anything, but he was still clearly angered. This ought to be interesting.

Normally, Player would've tried to find a way to lure Baldi around to be able to exit the school, but they thought of something else. It was a bad thought.

With nothing to lose, they pulled out their Zesty Bar, chomping it down eagerly. Immediately after, with an even wider smile, they charged straight at Baldi, ruler in hand. Baldi managed to block their swing easily, and wasn't deterred, the two proceeding into some kind of ruler swordfight. With the combination of Baldi's rage speed and Player's Zesty stamina, it turned out to be equally matched for a short time.

With a strong strike, Baldi went all out and caused the ruler in Player's hands to snap in half. This had a double-edged sword effect on them both, Baldi suddenly growing weak along with Player, collapsing on their hands and knees. However, due to the Zesty Bar, Player was first to stand again, picking up one half of the ruler, raising it against the vulnerable Baldi in front of them.

For the first time, despite what came with corruption, Baldi was glitched and weakened enough to express fear, as though he was trying to fight through it. Player reveled in it for a short while, before smacking him in the face, tossing the ruler on the ground and exiting the school.

13. PLAYER - 7/7 - 00:03:23 ✦

"Oh jeepers, you found me," The character had started again when Player was in the room with him, "Good job, I'm glad you found me, because I have something kind of important to say... Except, I think- Yeah, you... You've heard all th-that, right?" Player paused, though nodded expectantly. The character sighed loudly, causing Player to frown. It was also at this point where the extra strand of hair was gone, and Player felt more... Like themself again.

"Hoo, boy, oh boy," He started again, "This is... This is a mess. Oh, what- What HAVE you done? When I said to destroy the- the game, I didn't mean to-" A beep. "Well... What you did. I meant to destroy it, from your computer! Your... Your PC. Or Mac. Linux? Whichever..."

"Ah, well, jeez..." He kept going, "I... I'm lost for words, right... Right now. Don't- Don't expect some sort of, 'good job's from me, because... I don't think what you did-" A beep. "Was right, really I don't. It wasn't worth... Breaking the game, making it try to- to function in a way it wasn't-" Another. "You know? So, here's the- The, uh. The issue."

"I don't know what's... What's going to happen from now on," One more time, "Best case, it'll just... Go back to the way it- it was. Without anything to remember this by. Worst case, you probably... Caused some sort of... Ah, uh... Irreparable damage. To the system. The- The code. Now I- I beg you. Don't come back, never come back, because... I'm scared, man. I'm scared." Another loud, long beep, and then darkness.

2-21-20  15-8  23-8-1-20  8-1-22-5  25-15-21  4-15-14-5  16-12-1-25-5-18

Chapter Text

23-8-1-20  23-9-12-12  8-1-16-16-5-14  6-18-15-13  14-15-23  15-14  9-13  19-3-1-18-5-4

14.  BALDI - ?/7 - ??:??:??

There was a series of electronic beeps as the game attempted to start up. Before long, there was light, and then, the map of the school. It was as though the game, as simplistic as it was, was trying to find, process, and use code that may or may not exist. However, despite the odds, it managed to retrieve itself, in some form. This form, while unusual, proved stable enough to play as intended.

"Intended", taken loosely.

Baldi's eyes fluttered open, the original jet black color now showing blue irises. He shakily got to his feet, finding that he wasn't at his starting position. Instead, he stood where Player would've been. Looking forward, he saw that Player was in his old spot. Player seemed to stare at him, with an empty smile on their face, and a strange extra strand of hair. They waved at Baldi, who smiled and waved in turn, taking the whole situation lightly.

"Oh, hi!" He started, "[MESSAGE NOT FOUND.] ... Hm, maybe it's a bug, sometimes these things happen! Anyway, what're you over there for?" In response, Player gestured to follow them, and Baldi was led to the first classroom. Player pointed to the chalkboard, which Baldi read:

"Hello, Baldi. Good news! You'll finally be able to play your game and see how much FUN I really had!" From this, Baldi beamed, clapping ecstatically.

"Ahh, I see!" He spoke to Player, "I would absolutely LOVE to! I can't wait to get started!" With that, Player left Baldi alone in the room. Eagerly, Baldi sped on over to the notebook, taking notice of Player's old functions, such as the stamina bar, inventory, and notebook count. He couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"Now I'M the one helping my friend not be late for eating practice..." He said to himself, before thinking about it, "I still don't know what that means, though." He picked up the notebook and found the Think Pad inside. As normal, there were three math questions to solve, with Player awaiting Baldi's answer inputs. The only difference was that instead of single digit equations, they were triple digit ones.

It was still easy enough for Baldi, who was delighted by the changes. Exiting the room, Baldi went back to Player, who was allowing him to take the quarter item.

"Hey!" Baldi called as he received the prize, "Good call on those math problems! What a fair way to add challenge even for grown ups! Maybe someday they'll make difficulty settings like that in an update, so people of all ages can enjoy!" After a small sigh of those possibilities, Baldi waved Player goodbye, turning for the second room. "Well anyway, off I go! Only six more notebooks! I wonder if there's multiplication..." The last bit was moreso to himself, entering the room.

Second notebook, second Think Pad. Baldi took the time to read the chalkboard in here as well, just in case Player had more things to say.

"Get ready for your surprise! I hope you like it! = )"

"I'm sure I will," Baldi said aloud, engaging the second Think Pad. Addition, then subtraction, but no multiplication yet. Despite this, Baldi couldn't complain.

Lastly, he reached the third question. His face fell, replaced with shock.

"Huh...?" He wondered aloud, "Did the Think Pad just... Bug out?" He tapped the side a few times, rebooted it, everything he could think of - and yet, the third question remained the same. Finally, he looked over at the bottom left corner, at Player. "Say, er... I'm not sure if you're the talking type, but would you mind reading this one out for me? I can't really... See..."

A message appeared on the Think Pad, in place of the math problems.

"MIND IF I USE YOUR VOICE CLIPS?"

"Of course not!" Baldi quickly answered, "If it helps, go right ahead!" Player nodded, before opening their mouth.

"BZZZZZZ, plus, BZZZZZZ, times, BZZZZZZ, equals...?" Baldi blinked, the buzzing making him somewhat uneasy.

"Excuse me?" He said, "I think you... Hm, had some interference?" Player tried again, but it sounded exactly the same. Their expression had not changed, but Baldi began to suspect that there was a hint of... Satisfaction, beginning to show on their features.

"I don't understand..." Baldi said again, his unease creeping in further, "Why is this... What... Why..."

"YOU'RE A PROFESSOR, BALDI. SOLVE IT." Said a new message.

"But I- Wait," Baldi replied, "What do you see?"

"A SIMPLE PROBLEM WITH MULTIPLICATION AND ADDITION, OF COURSE."

"Well, alright, but-"

"NOTHING YOU CAN'T HANDLE, RIGHT?"

"Ordinarily I could-"

"SO. YOU'RE THE PROFESSOR. SOLVE. IT."

"Now now, no need to be rude," Baldi tried to sound like he meant it, but was clearly shaky, "But I'll get this. ... Somehow." He wracked his mind, trying to discern the numbers and operators, figuring that if he could find which set lined up with the operators said to be present, it could become possible.

Even with all of his efforts, the submitted answer displayed itself as... Incorrect. This was something Baldi could barely withstand, and the next of Player's messages didn't ease his mind one bit.

"I KNEW IT."

"YOU COULDN'T SOLVE SOMETHING YOU CLAIMED TO BE EASY."

"THE EQUATION IS TRULY IMPOSSIBLE."

"AND YOU'RE A FRAUD."

Just as the Think Pad shut itself off, Baldi dropped it in surprise as he heard chalk writing on the chalkboard. He shivered in terror as the message upon it changed, seemingly all on its own.

"I WILL MAKE YOU PAY."

It took all of Baldi's willpower to leave the room, immediately after being greeted by a smacking sound. As he waited, he heard it get closer, seeing Player become revealed through the hallway, smacking a ruler in their palm.

14.  BALDI - 2/7 - 00:05:36

"Hey, isn't that...?" Baldi boldly asked, before changing the subject, "Look, we can talk about this! We can find a solution, together! We could- We could guide each other! We could..." Baldi trailed off, as Player appeared to have no intention of listening, their empty-smiled gaze simply boring into Baldi's. They got in close.

"You don't have to do this!" Baldi started again, beginning to panic and stepping back, "Just put my- the ruler down, and let's-"

S C R E E E E  E  E  E  E   E   E   E   E   E    E    E    E    E    E    E

15.  BALDI - 3/7 - 00:06:12

Baldi screamed, his eyes wide in fear, shaking from on the floor. Moments after, he sat up, finding that he was in the starting area, with Player in his old spot again. He panted as Player gazed at him, pulling out and displaying their side of the teacher's Think Pad.

"THE GAME SHOULD BE OVER, RIGHT?"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU WOULD'VE DONE, RIGHT?"

"BUT YOU'RE NOT IN CHARGE ANYMORE."

"I-... I..." Baldi tried to utter words, but nothing complex would come out. Finally, he had the courage to ask, "Did you... Trick me?"

"ONLY AS MUCH AS YOU HAVE, FRAUD."

"But I would never-!" Baldi tried to defend, getting to his feet, "Never! I'd never trick anyone! What kind of-"

"WHY DON'T YOU TRY TO BEAT MY TIME?"

"08. PLAYER - 7/7 - 00:07:56 ★"

"THE CLOCK'S TICKING, BALDI." From then on, Player wouldn't respond to anything, which eventually made Baldi go off on his own.

"Why is this happening...?" Baldi said to himself, gathering the first notebook with ease, then grabbing the second, "And I'm not a fraud. I'm not. I can't be... Right?" With much deliberation, Baldi didn't attempt solving the third question, as that proved to be a mistake. A new message appeared on the Think Pad, in place of the math problem.

"SOON YOU'LL GET IT. MAYBE." The chalkboard had changed, too.

"BETTER START RUNNING." Baldi didn't need to be told twice, bolting from the room and out into the rest of the school.

The one advantage he was thankful to have was his omniscient-like hearing, which allowed him to be able to tell whoever's nearby at any given moment. For a while, he scoured the school, taking note of the other characters, who all were... Much less advanced in terms of AI. They did what they were supposed to, but weren't capable of complex, meaningful conversations. Baldi frowned, for the first time finding out just how lacking his game really was.

In fact, the only exciting thing was Player chasing him around, but it was for all the wrong reasons.

Third notebook, another impossible math problem, another message, another chalkboard.

"YOU HEARD EVERY DOOR I OPENED."

"YOU GOT FASTER FOR EVERY PROBLEM I GOT WRONG."

Baldi was still processing all this information when Player snuck in and

S C R E E E E  E  E  E  E   E   E   E   E   E    E    E    E    E    E    E

16.  BALDI - 5/7 - 00:04:38

Baldi managed to find the fourth notebook. He nervously read the new messages.

"YOU CHASED ME WITH THE RULER."

"IT WASN'T FOR PUNISHMENT, BUT A THIRST FOR BLOOD."

"No..." Baldi choked, not wanting to believe it, "I'd... I'd never...!"

At some point, Baldi had Playtime to deal with, but he just barely managed to evade Player, who was determined as ever to catch Baldi. It took a Zesty Bar, but he made it to the fifth notebook. More new messages.

"NOT EVEN PRINCIPAL THOUGHT ANYTHING OF IT."

"IN FACT, YOUR FRIENDS SEEMED PROGRAMMED TO AID YOU."

"NO!" Baldi didn't want to read any more, leaving the room quickly, only to be caught by the Principal for running. It was a strange, unsettling feeling, a teacher- no, professor - having detention in his own schoolhouse. Except for, well, it wasn't his anymore...

Baldi hadn't moved since being put here. Despite hearing Player approach, he did nothing to stop them from

S C R E E E E  E  E  E  E   E   E   E   E   E    E    E    E    E    E    E

17.  BALDI - 7/7 - 00:05:48

Baldi was panting, desperately regaining his stamina, while alone in the classroom for the sixth notebook. Soon, he grabbed it like the others before. New messages. Baldi was scared as to what other horrible things Player was about to say.

"EVERY TIME YOU CAUGHT ME, THE ASSUMPTION WAS THAT I DIED."

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS NOW?"

Baldi's eyes widened. He remembered asking Player about the resets, feeling like it was so long ago. He remembered Player looking so uneasy about answering. He covered his mouth, his voice cracking and muffily.

"No... No no NO...!" He heard the chalk again.

"ACCEPT IT, AND MAYBE I'LL GO EASIER ON YOU."

Baldi couldn't, dropping the Think Pad to the ground and leaving the room.

"Only... One more," He muttered to himself, trying to not cry, "One more, one more. Then this, this madness... It'll finally end..." The sounds of ruler pierced Baldi's supposed ears, causing him to flee. When he was sure he was safe, he made it to the last notebook. Upon completing the Think Pad, Baldi forced himself to see what came next.

"THIS IS THE PART THAT I STRUGGLED WITH MOST."

"99THIS99 99PROGRAM99 99IS A99 99CANCER99"

Baldi felt lucky that an exit was so nearby, but the moment he approached the doors, it disappeared. Baldi couldn't believe his eyes.

"No... That... That can't be..." He pleaded, touching and pushing on the wall, "It was right there, IT WAS RIGHT THERE!" Moments after, he noticed that everything had a red tint, but that wasn't the most shocking thing. He heard his own voice, though he wasn't saying the words - Player was borrowing his voice clips again.

"CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'VE FOUND ALL SEVEN NOTEBOOKS! NOW ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!" Baldi covered his supposed ears from the last bit of dialogue, feeling the whole schoolhouse tremble from the sound waves. Moments after, he heard his own voice having a short laugh.

It was ingenuine. Abnormal. Insane. In fact, the whole dialogue came off like he was ready to... Baldi covered his mouth again, sinking to a sitting position. Player hadn't lied. He'd really been...

"But why is it like this...?" He found himself uttering, "Why...?" Player managed to catch him, and it was over before he could even

S C R E E E E  E  E  E  E   E   E   E   E   E    E    E    E    E    E    E

5-22-5-18-25-20-8-9-14-7  6-5-5-12-19  23-18-15-14-7  23-8-25  4-9-4  25-15-21  4-15  20-8-1-20

Chapter Text

4-5-19-16-9-20-5  5-22-5-18-25-20-8-9-14-7  25-15-21  16-21-19-8-5-4  1-14-4  16-21-19-8-5-4

18.  BALDI - 2/7 - 00:17:50

It's been ten minutes, with no sign of progress. This was probably the longest Player felt semi-conscious through all of Baldi's runs, and the more it continued, the more their desire for vengeance waned.

At last, Player followed after Baldi, who had all but disappeared into the farther room past the school rules poster, to see what was taking him so long. A door open later, and Player found out why.

Baldi was in a corner, laid on his side in a fetal position. His eyes were puffy and red, as though he'd been crying until he lacked the energy to. The glazedness of his gaze left him barely acknowledging Player at first.

"Oh, hi..." He tried to drone as usual, with a half-hearted wave. Quickly, he gave up with a sigh. "Ah, what's the point..." When Player pointed to the notebook floating upon the desk, Baldi looked away. "Is now really the time for games? Especially... Mine..." His voice fell to just above a whisper. "God, it's ruined, it's been ruined, I can't believe it..." He stopped when Player started using his voice clips again, but in a very odd way.

"I wANT To TalK," Very jumbled and far from smooth, but still intelligible, "You need to collect ONe notebook before I caN TalK To you." It seemed Player had learned how to splice words and sounds to generate their own lines. Baldi had to admit that he was impressed deep down, understanding how much effort that had to have taken.

"You aren't going to say more bad things, are you?" He couldn't help but ask, "I don't want to know any more..." Player simply shook their head, before giving a peace sign, although the madness that had consumed them made it difficult.

"Hmm, alright..." Baldi caved in, slowly bringing himself to his feet to take the first notebook, then muttering, "If you say so." As soon as Baldi had finished up the first Think Pad, Player pulled out theirs. The talking began as the two sat at one table.

"THIS IS KIND OF GETTING SAD."

"Of course it's sad," Baldi agreed, wiping at his face and eyes, "I'm depressed, you know. I've found out that my game's been ruined. This schoolhouse, the students, the faculty, the plot, and my role in all this... Tampered with, just like that."

"DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE?"

"Vividly!" Baldi nodded immediately, "An engaging and challenging collectathon, with other kids to talk to, or play with! Fun trivias throughout, with all kinds of subjects. The items were meant to be for fun, things you could gift, or even used in side-quests. And all the while, oh..." Reminiscing was somehow able to get Baldi to smile.

"I was going to be your guide," He continued on, slowly becoming more passionate, "Helping you in case you got lost, or forgot something, or needed help with a problem. Then at the end, when you got all the notebooks, I was supposed to say, 'Congratulations! You've found all seven notebooks! [MESSAGE NOT FOUND.]'" He paused, growing sad again. "Oh... That's right, it was removed..."

"TYPING IT SHOULD BE OKAY. LET'S TRADE FOR A SECOND."

"... Alright," Baldi complied, the two switching Think Pads. Player waited for Baldi to write it out. Then, it appeared.

"WHENEVER YOU'RE READY, WE'LL MEET YOU AT THE EXIT TO SAY GOODBYE!" Player then tried to emulate it.

"Yes, something like that," Baldi replied, the two switching Think Pads again, "I wonder why everything changed so drastically, and for the worst..."

"I KNOW WHY. BUT IF I TELL YOU, WILL YOU STILL TRY TO FINISH THE GAME?"

"I don't think I want to at all," Baldi admitted, "But I know you've been through so much..."

"YOUR GAME IS CORRUPTED."

"IT'S TRIGGERED WHEN A PROBLEM IS INCORRECTLY ANSWERED."

"YOU, AS WHO YOU ARE, DISAPPEAR WHEN THAT HAPPENS."

"I see that now..." Baldi said, quietly, "It's been corrupted? By what?"

"SOMEONE, FROM THE OUTSIDE."

"No...!" Baldi gasped this time, "You don't mean... Your people? From your world?"

"I DO. BUT I THINK I KNOW A WAY TO RESET OUR POSITIONS."

"ONLY THEN, I CAN GET OUT."

"What will you do then?" Baldi asked, "Will you just... Close my game, and... Never come back?"

"NO. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENED..."

"YOU TELL ME THIS ISN'T HOW IT'S MEANT TO BE."

"I THINK... I WANT TO SEE IT. THE REAL GAME. I WANT TO SHARE IT."

"Really...?" Baldi almost squeaked, hands trembling, "You'd do that for people like me, who don't exist? People who're... Lines of code and a few pictures?" Player nodded, a small smile forming. It was genuine.

"YOU'RE MUCH MORE THAN LINES OF CODE AND A MODEL."

"YOU'RE CAPABLE OF TALKING OUTSIDE VOICE CLIPS. MAKING CHOICES."

"YOU HAVE A WIDE EXPANSE OF EMOTIONS AND EMPATHY."

"COMPLEX CONVERSATIONS LIKE THIS ONE COME EASILY."

"YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THIS AS A GAME. YOU'RE SELF-AWARE."

"YOU'RE PRACTICALLY REAL."

"IF YOU'RE LINES OF CODE, I AM TOO - DNA AND ALL THAT."

"DIGITAL, ORGANIC, WHAT DOES IT MATTER, IF YOU HAVE A CONSCIOUSNESS?" Player stopped, noticing that Baldi had started tearing up again. From their concerned expression, Baldi quickly swiped at his eyes, shaking his head.

"I'm alright, I'm... Alright," He soon shakily spoke, managing to grin again, "It's just... That's the nicest thing I've ever read. And you don't seem... Mad at me anymore. Is that true?"

"YES, IT IS." Baldi beamed. "SO, WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE, I WANT TO FIX YOUR GAME."

"Then what's the plan?" Baldi asked, turning eager.

"IT'S CRAZY, BUT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO A LOT OF... ODD THINGS."

"FIRST, GET ALL THE QUESTIONS WRONG."

"WHAT?" Baldi exclaimed in shock, "I could never-!"

"YOU'LL NEED TO. THE IDEA IS TO BRING THE GAME TO ITS KNEES."

"TO BE A BAD STUDENT WHO BREAKS RULES, CAUSES TROUBLE..."

"AND GETS QUESTIONS WRONG."

"I don't know If I could..."

"THERE'S STILL MORE..."

"Alright, I think I get the picture," Baldi had said when Player finished explaining, "I'll feel really bad doing it, but if it's what must be done..."

"IT'S FOR THE GREATER GOOD."

"KEEP IN MIND, YOU GOT THE FIRST THREE CORRECT. THAT WON'T COUNT."

"So I have to lose first."

"AND TRY AGAIN, YES. DO YOUR BEST TO IGNORE WHAT I BECOME." Baldi nodded, starting to get up, only for Player to pull on his sleeve.

"ONE MORE THING. I'VE MADE NEW MESSAGES FOR THESE ACTIONS."

"PLEASE READ THEM. I HOPE YOU'LL BE ABLE TO FORGIVE ME." Baldi nodded again.

"I already do, but I will," He said, before Player let him go. Baldi paused at the door. "You're not coming?"

"TRUST ME, YOU DON'T WANT ME TO BE WITH YOU WHEN IT HAPPENS."

"I WANT TO AT LEAST SPARE YOU FROM SEEING THAT."

"Ah... Good thinking," Baldi uttered quietly, before leaving. Player waited for the inevitable to occur, while Baldi took the second notebook. He was going to answer normally, before coming to a realization. "If I don't start here, I might not be able to stomach it when it matters..."

He entered zero, again and again. The messages that appeared read:

"MAYBE IT'S BEST TO CLOSE YOUR EYES."

"SEE YOU SOON." Baldi immediately heard the smacking, but did what was suggested, shutting his eyes. He held the Think Pad tightly to his chest, reaching a seating position as he waited. He knew how long it would take, how close Player would get, and yet it was still frightening.

His eyes shut tighter in tandem with his grip, hearing the dreaded noise draw closer and closer and closer and

S C R E E E E  E  E  E  E   E   E   E   E   E    E    E    E    E    E    E

19.  BALDI - ?/7 - ??:??:??

Baldi jerked upright, finding that he was back to the start, with Player nearby. From his reaction, Player came forward, embracing Baldi lightly. While they expected a stun, they didn't expect it to be returned - and so fiercely to boot.

"I'm scared," Baldi uttered. Player nodded in understanding, displaying their Think Pad.

"IT WILL BE HARD TO DO THIS. I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO WIN THE FIRST TRY."

"ESPECIALLY LIKE THIS. I HAVE SOME HINTS, THOUGH."

"Anything," Baldi quickly agreed.

"TAKE YOUR TIME WITH THE NOTEBOOKS. IF YOU RUSH, YOU WILL FAIL."

"IF I CAN'T SEE/HEAR YOU IN TWO HALLWAY TURNS, I WILL WANDER."

"FIRST PRIZE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND, AND CAN HELP YOU GO PLACES."

"THERE ARE THREE FAKE EXITS. I LIKED USING THE CAFETERIA ONE LAST." To every bit of advice, Baldi nodded, taking it into consideration. Player had played his game far longer than he had, so they were bound to know some exploits. When Player was finished, Baldi let them go, but not without a small pat on the head.

"Thank you," He said, with Player smiling up at him, "I still don't like this, but I'm ready."

From Player's instruction earlier, Baldi followed through with the plan, being sure to utilize the advice given. However, due to the nature of the Disorienting Tapes, they were not used, nor were Alarm Clocks. As a matter of choice, Baldi couldn't bring himself to use the Safety Scissors either, even as it tempted him with the possibility of skipping Playtime's antics.

In the end, he smacked it off the desk it floated on, watching it bounce around on the floor with a disapproving gaze.

Continuing on, Baldi read every message given to him, to honor Player's request.

"AT FIRST, I WAS SO ANGRY. FROM ALL THE SUFFERING."

"YOU'RE DOING GREAT!" First notebook.

"I WAS TOLD TO LEAVE, DESTROY THE GAME, AND NEVER COME BACK."

"WAY TO GO!" Second notebook.

Baldi saw what Player meant by taking his time, as the longer he waited to get notebooks, the slower Player got.

"BUT I DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING WORSE. WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING NOW."

"YOU EXIST!" Third notebook.

"I THOUGHT TAKING THE RULER WOULD ONLY IRK YOU, BUT NO."

"KEEP IT UP!" Fourth notebook.

He found First Prize, who saw him and promptly hug/pushed Baldi way down the hall. The motion was strangely fun. He would've yelled in glee if not for his mission.

"THEN THE POWER OVERCAME ME. I FELT LIKE I WAS THE ONE IN CONTROL."

"YOU CAN DO IT!" Fifth notebook.

"THE CORRUPTION ENCOURAGED MY ANGER, MY SPITE, MY VENGEANCE."

"ONLY ONE MORE TO GO!" Sixth notebook.

Armed with a BSODA, Baldi waited near the intersection, where Player started to round the corner. When the timing was right, he tossed the unopened can to Player's feet. Just as predicted, Sweeper was triggered, sweeping away Player and the can, who yelled out from the event. On the floor lay his ruler. Nervously, he picked it up, feeling the rest of his power surge through his body.

At last, things felt right.

Not long later, Baldi decided to get the seventh notebook. It had been very difficult for him to purposefully get every problem wrong, but here he was, only having to do it three more times before it can finally end. Upon finishing them, Baldi read the messages, wondering where all this would lead up to.

"IN BREAKING YOU, I CAME BACK TO MY SENSES. I HOPE YOU'LL BE OKAY."

"I'm sorry, Professor Baldi." The chalkboard message was different than all the others. Somehow, the change with proper capitalization made it... All the more heartfelt. The strangest thing was how silent everything became. Baldi didn't hear that terrifying voice clip this time, and after a few moments more in collecting himself, he left the room.

By this point, as he made his rounds through the fake exits, Baldi had his ruler, a Zesty Bar, and another BSODA. He had used items like Yellow Door Locks and WD-NoSquees prior, but as of now, these were the most useful items. When he had to, he used up the BSODA, trying to save the Zesty Bar for an absolute emergency.

Along the walls, while everything was tainted in red and the loud humming overtook the schoolhouse, Baldi could see lines and lines of black text.

"YOU'RE NOT A FRAUD!" "KEEP GOING!" "YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!" "DON'T GIVE UP!" "YOU CAN DO THIS!" "GO GO GO!" "YOU'RE REAL!" "END THIS GAME!" "YOU CAN'T LOSE!" Among many other encouraging things. Despite the situation, Baldi smiled, becoming invigorated and reaching the cafeteria in due time.

He saw Player at the doors, carrying the metal yardstick that appeared much too large for them to carry. Yet, they weren't stopped in wanting to use it, their face grim with the soulless smile Baldi had come to know.

But this isn't Player, this is... The corruption.

With resolve, Baldi managed to lure Player to him, instead of charging over for a fight. This caused the two to hop around and over tables, while Baldi tried to keep out of reach of Player and their dangerous school tool. When Player would strike too close, Baldi used both hands to block with his ruler, but it wasn't long before he could see it cracking.

"That's not good..." He muttered to himself in unease, "I need to get out of here, and fast...!" When Player had been moved far from the exit, Baldi switched tactics and maneuvered to the doors. While Player gave chase, Baldi used Spacebar to deflect attacks from behind, the cracks widening to dangerous levels. "One more, and it'll-!"

Meters from the doors, Baldi found himself falling on his front to the floor, the ruler snapping in half from another strike. Both halves clattered to the floor nearby, Player closing the distance. They could've ended the game right there and then, but they chose to instead relish in Baldi's sudden weakness.

"No, I'm... I'm so..." Baldi tried to say, his words stuttering as he found it hard to move, "I'm s-so... Close...! I can't- I can't let... Let you down now!" Player watched as Baldi shook and glitched, trying his best to get up, but was failing. Then, he remembered his last item - the Zesty Bar. With great, strained effort, Baldi managed to tab over to the slot, which materialized the chocolate bar in his hand.

"Just... Come on... Just..." He tried further, his hand shaking from the effort it took just to move it, "Just one... Bite!" Player had continued to watch, thinking Baldi wouldn't be able to succeed, but was genuinely surprised as Baldi refused to give up. No, instead, he persevered despite the uphill battle, and Player noticed what was going to happen. Just as the item was used, Player took up the metal yardstick again, yelling in rage. Player went to strike Baldi with it, only to be deflected.

Through all the effort before, the speed and energy Baldi now possessed was superhuman, almost. In a flash, he had grabbed one half of the broken ruler, using it to shield himself once again. It cracked once more, but Baldi didn't let himself mind this time, pushing Player back enough to get to his feet, taking the other half of ruler with him. Player was skid a few feet away.

"You comPLETe MadMAn!" They shouted angrily, with Baldi's voice clip splices, "You... You CAN't Do THaT!"

"Oh, like these?" Baldi looked at his hands, each half of ruler in them still, "I mean, probably not, but I am somehow!"

"THaT's it!" Player growled, their voice heighting to levels that caused Baldi to cover his supposed ears, "I will nOT REset youR game aNYmORE! You'LL be STUck herE, fORceD To fEEL EveRY OUNce of PAIn and SUFferINg as I bREaK youR poLYgON boDY To PIEceS!" Player charged, fury in their eyes, swinging the ruler they wielded. Baldi darted backwards, still energized by the Zesty Bar and using his ruler halves to deflect, making sure that he was heading for the exit.

"My goodness...!" He spoke back to Player, not taking their words to heart, "That corruption's really given you a twisted mind!" With a mighty roar, Player struck again, this time hard enough to break off more pieces of Baldi's ruler. It pushed him backwards even further - right through the exit.

19.  BALDI - 7/7 - 00:09:16 ✦

The loss of balance caused him to land on his back, dazed from it all. At first, he wondered if Player was nearby, but they weren't. All was silent as Baldi brought himself upright, yet he sensed an aura of peacefulness emanating from this new area. It was something he'd never felt before, not even back in the schoolhouse before the corruption would take over.

"Is this... The only safe place in my whole game...?" He asked himself, getting up entirely, to see a sign.

"You Won! There's room for improvement though... Go see Baldi in his office for some tips!"

20-15-23-1-18-4-19  1  14-5-23  18-5-19-21-12-20  20-8-1-20  13-1-25  14-15-20  8-1-16-16-5-14

Chapter Text

20-8-5-14  25-15-21  20-15-12-4  13-5  9-20-12-12  1-12-12  2-5  15-11-1-25

"That's... That's right," Baldi finished reading and nodded to himself, "I was supposed to have an office, too... Principal, as well. Maybe that's the detention room...?" He shook his head slowly, ending that train of thought. "Anyway, why is it here? And not... In the schoolhouse?"

He wondered this as he turned around, seeing the empty hallway with the single door. He approached, also wondering how he'd be able to go back, as well as what will be on the other side.

"If nothing else, then the truth about my game," He said to himself again, hesitating for a moment before opening the door, oddly able to pass though the anomaly that was the strange way the door "opened".

For the most part, Baldi recognized the room's contents, though it was... Less furnished than what he was expecting. A single long desk and chair, a chalkboard with colorful wordart, plus a floating banana in an otherwise empty room. The banana's placement was odd, but it belonged here all the same.

As for the rest of the contents, he didn't recall them being here, which was startling. At first, his attention was drawn to the... Rather strange image of himself, stretched and distorted, clipping through the ceiling.

"... Creepy..." He muttered, his face unsettled. Quickly, he changed his attention, approaching the desk and seeing the unknown character from before. Baldi marveled at him for a minute, recognizing him but trying to figure out how. He didn't have time to do so, for he began to speak.

"Oh jeepers, you found me," He began, "Good job, I'm glad you found me, because I have something kind of important to say..." There was a loud beep, which made Baldi step back. The character continued. "It's about th-the game... Oh. Oh, oh wow. This is--" Another. "Wow... I can't believe it. I guess we've-- we've come full circle, right?" He laughed. Baldi was confused.

"Excuse me sir," Baldi asked, "Who are you?"

"I told the-- Uh, the person playing the game," The character continued, as if not hearing Baldi, "To just get out of this, while they still could. But then they went and--" A beep. "... Yeah, it was a mess. But-- But NOW. You're-- You're-- YOU'RE here." Another laugh.

"Can you hear me, sir?" Baldi asked again, "Do I know you? Have we met before?"

"This is--" A beep. "This is-- Absolutely... Absolutely PERFECT." Another. "You know, I... I used to, well, ah... No, that's not-- That's not important anymore." A drawn in sigh. "You're here, so that... That means only one thing, doesn't it?" Another beep. "It's over. We're done. The end. What more can I say? Like... What I'm... Allowed to."

"... Sir?" Baldi tried once more, waving a bit. "Oh, hi? [MESSAGE NOT FOUND.] Hmm, that's right, uh..."

"Well, if you're able to listen, Baldi," The character kept up, "Actually, I'm not sure if that's--" A beep. "Like, defined. In the code. I've... Never looked into it. I'll say--" Another. "I need to, because, why not? The game's going to crash anyway, I'll make sure of that. This time, I won't let it run again--" Yet another. "I have to do EVERYTHING around... Around here. Probably--" And yet another. "Probably... Should've done that a-- A long time ago."

"Crash? Never... Run again?" Baldi got the lingo immediately, beginning to panic. "No! No, don't do that! That won't stop...! That won't stop the problems at hand!!" He paused for a moment, frantically trying to think of other reasons. Meanwhile, something was happening to the room, something... Not so good. Whatever it was, it was erasing the air of peace that was here moments before.

"I told them!" The character started again, his tone starting to turn angry, "I told them to get out! They had their chance! But did they--" A beep. "Did they LISTEN? No!" Another. "They made their--" Yet another. "Made their MESS, and who's going to clean it up?? Oh, Sweeper, of course! He sweep sweep sweeps EVERYTHING, doesn't he?? But no. No more. No more trusting in outsiders who don't--" Yet another beep. "--ing GET IT. If you want ANYTHING--" Another. "--ing DONE around here, you have to do it YOURSELF!"

"Sir, please!" Baldi continued to reach out, "Please settle down! Talk to me! Anything but crash!" Around him, the textures were glitching about, sound quality was dropping, the room began to rumble, and the character behind the desk had started... Moving, with what little of his body he had.

"I may not be able to stop every instance of this CURSED thing they called a GAME," The character didn't let up, only getting more and more angry, "But at least I can stop ONE of them!! Heck--" A beep. "Maybe those twisted little--" Another. "Sons of--" Yet another. "Will give up trying to--" A long beep. Baldi had started waving his hands at this point.

"Sir! Please!!" He repeated, with a raised voice this time, hoping the other character would hear. "Please settle down! Please hear me out! It's not--! It's not going to fix anything! Please don't do this...!"

"But what will happen, the moment the game... Resets?" The character spoke again, finally directed at Baldi, "It'll... It'll..." A beep. "It'll revert, won't it? Back to the way THEY wanted it to BE!"

"That may be so," Baldi replied, relieved to be able to attempt talking sense into this entity, "But the other person playing... Their name is Player! And they have plans to fix everything! They want to see what it was supposed to be like--!" He cut himself off with a short yell as the floor cracked and fell into an abyss, Baldi barely managing to grab hold of one of the table's legs, it somehow not falling as well.

"Why should I trust that... That little..." The character answered, seething in his tone and floating toward the ceiling as Baldi did his best to climb to the top of the table. "They did this to us." A beep. "To YOU. To ME." Another. "How do we know that they won't--" Yet another. "... Abandon us? Delete us? Forget us?" Another beep. "We wouldn't even KNOW IT."

"You don't have to, if you don't want to," Baldi assured, shakily getting to his feet on the table at last, "I understand what you mean! But I trust them, I believe in them, not just because I was made to. Also because... They apologized." Baldi paused for a moment. "Even in their corruption, one that I too dealt with, they returned to form, even giving me advice on how to get here this way! I... I wouldn't be talking to you without that!"

"Humans..." Suddenly, the character laughed. "You're so naïve. You don't--" A beep. "You don't know, what they can REALLY be like... They're not--" Another. "You think they are. They're nothing but-- But trouble!" Yet another. "I was made after a Hu-- Human, vengeful against those who--" Another beep. "To his VISION!!" A pause. "And now... It's been soiled, and can NEVER be--" A long beep.

"Yes it can...!" Baldi started to plead, reaching an arm out for him, "I believe it can... I know we can't stop every other copy, but... Maybe we'll be able to start our own. Maybe... They'll all like ours more. HIS more." He paused for a moment. "I trust Player to do the right thing, so please... Please give this Human a chance."

There was silence for a short while, Baldi not letting up on his stance, with the other character simply looking upon him in disbelief, though it was hard to tell.

"Wouldn't you want the chance to fix things?" Baldi started again, "To make things right, the way it was always meant to be? I know his vision. I know it vividly, and I'm more than prepared to tell Player what we'd need, and then some! Like... Oh! What I told Player, about the... The party mechanics! I don't really know how we'd work that in, but it's a start!" The other character continued to remain oddly silent, so Baldi continued, making gestures with his arms instead.

"Then, I thought of difficulty settings!" He began again, "So people of all ages can play! Oh, and, wow, I'm just thinking of this now, but, hm... A player database? Players can all have their own names and stats, like fastest time and most notebooks collected in Endless Mode!" He gasped suddenly. "OH! I nearly forgot about Endless Mode! I know it wasn't originally part of his vision, but it's a welcome addition in my book! As for that, I'd be chasing the player still, but I'm not out to hurt them or anything! Just to tag them or something harmless like that! The items could help keep me at bay..." He paused to breathe at last, having barely done so this entire time.

"The point is," He continued moments after, "Everything would be solvable. Always. And if they got it wrong... Well, no harm done! Sometimes it's hard, sometimes we mistype, sometimes we make mistakes; it's normal, you know? It's only... Human. To make mistakes. I made plenty of those before coming here too, so perhaps I really do exist..." There was another period of silence as Baldi trailed off, not sure what else to say. At last, the other character spoke up again, his tone more calm.

As for the room, the shaking had slowed to a stop, though the abyss, glitched textures, and poor sound quality remained.

"You remind me, of... Him," He said, "He was an up-and-coming young man, ready to share his ideas to the world..." A beep. "But his story wasn't told. His story was warped, nearly beyond--" Another. He lowered himself, nearing Baldi's eye level. "Do you. Do you really think that Human could--" Yet another. "... Help us?" Baldi nodded from the question, almost immediately.

"Of course I do," He said afterwards, reaching out and putting a hand on the other character's shoulder, "I believe in them, whole-heartedly. If I'm wrong, and if everything goes bad, I... You can blame me then, and you can shut this whole thing down for good. Would that be a good compromise?" After a while, the other character spoke up.

"... Yes, it is," He said in response, "You know, if he could talk to you about your ideas... I'm sure he... Would've loved them."

"Really?" Baldi looked away sheepishly for a moment. "HE would like the ideas coming from a... A character?"

"Probably," The other character answered.

"Alright, well," Baldi changed the subject a bit, "You're the first character I've met that I could actually talk to, did you know that? It felt really nice, so thank you for talking to me, for hearing me out."

"Of course," The other character stated, "And, of course the-- The most developed character in the game would... Would bring me back down, give me hope, give me chances. All because of-- Of his... Optimism." At this, Baldi smiled gleefully, giving the other character a hug, though it looked a bit strange. Baldi found himself laughing.

"It's a part of me, you know?" He said lightly, before settling down. "Now, I'm sure this is probably asking a lot, but please don't make the game unplayable. Just... Take us back. Back to where we're supposed to be, if you can. If not, I can only hope a reset will do it for us."

"Very well, Professor," Was the reply, "Hope you're prepared for whatever comes next. Oh, and... If everything goes right, I want to see."

"Oh, yes!" Baldi immediately agreed, letting go of the other character, "I'd LOVE to show you around!!" With a motion that resembled a nod, there was a very long and loud beep, Baldi yelping suddenly as he covered his supposed ears, his eyes shut too tightly to notice that darkness would envelope them both.

In the next available instant, Player found themself floating in the main menu screen, greeted by the familiar jingle. The extra strand of hair on their head was no longer existent, either. They beamed, realizing what it meant. Immediately, they charged at the Story Mode button.

20. PLAYER - ?/7 - ??:??:??

Player appeared at the exit, excitedly looking around, then found Baldi nearby. Quickly they ran over to him, giving him an embrace. As he was much taller, Baldi had to bend down to properly return it.

"Oh, hi!" He said with a small laugh, "You seem happy to see me! And guess what, I think it worked! Let's see..." As the two pulled away, Baldi cleared his throat. "Welcome to my schoolhouse!" The two grinned and cheered away, Baldi pulling out two noisemakers from nowhere and giving Player one. They proceeded to blow on them with more laughter.

"Ahh, it feels so good to be back where I belong!" Baldi exclaimed afterward, before turning a bit serious, though still happy. "However, our job isn't done yet! Now, you need to go out to your world, and fix this for us. Make sure awful things like that never happen again. If you need help, find someone who's really good with code - someone you trust!" Player nodded while listening, before making a gesture that resembled the Think Pad.

"Oh! You'd like to say something?" With another nod from Player, Baldi handed them his Think Pad, waiting eagerly for whatever they had to say. Soon, he got to read it.

"NEVER GOT TO TELL YOU, BUT NICE BLUE EYES!" Baldi was confused for a moment.

"Huh? Weren't they always?" Player shook their head, while Baldi shrugged. "Oh well! Thank you, I hope it's here to stay this time! Anyway..." He stood up, taking back his Think Pad when Player handed it to him, "It's time for you to go, at least for now. Take your time, I'm sure these things aren't easy to do, but I'll miss you." Player nodded, giving Baldi a wave, who returned it.

"Goodbye! See you later!" And soon enough, with Player's disappearance, soon came darkness as the game shut down. "Time to sleep..."

That wasn't the last time Baldi saw Player. From his perspective, Baldi saw them again only moments later, if even that. Passage of time in a simple game like this was hard to determine, let alone explain. Simply put, it was like he'd closed his eyes for... Two seconds at most.

Time after time, Player would appear, test some things out, then leave. In fact, at some point Player figured out how to abort the game while still using the Think Pads. It was just to prevent... That.

Unlike in the brief-ish past, Baldi didn't question the amount of hopping in and out, for he could metaphorically put two and two together as to Player's intentions. All he would do is wave hello to Player and let them go, unless they specifically requested his insight or assistance. In those cases, Baldi was happy to help.

At some point, the amount of extra, incomplete playthroughs caused the total to reach 55. His only question to Player was whether or not to erase them, as the max allowed to be stored was 99 before the oldest would start being erased automatically. A bit archaic, but what could one expect from a game designed to be styled after the 90's generation of games?

And yet, still have modern things within, if one looked hard enough. This made the game's placement in a historical means questionable, but neither of them discussed it much more than "Yeah that's a bit strange".

The additions continued, the two deciding to leave the playthroughs there at least until everything was finished, or if the slots started to run out.

One thing Player never even thought about was the idea of getting a normal question wrong, only ensuring that they were (and looked) solvable in the first place. At this point, with the help of a friend from the outside, they were becoming sure that the corrupted pieces of code had been removed. There was care taken however, making certain that the rest of it didn't hold any fatal or otherwise unintentional loose ends.

All in all, it has to be possible for the problems to be solved incorrectly without horrifying repercussions, or else...

60. PLAYER - ?/7 - ??:??:??

By this time, some items (Disorienting Tape, Alarm Clock, WD-NoSquee, and Yellow Door Lock) had been entirely removed from Story Mode, as it wouldn't make sense for them to exist. As for the phone, Player had their friend recode it entirely, it now doing nothing until further notice. The poster explaining what it would've done before was also removed.

It was time to test the new lineup of code for incorrect answers.

"Oh, new lines for me?" Baldi had said, before mentally looking into it with a nod. "Yup, I sure see them! How did you do that?"

"THOSE WERE MADE USING YOUR ABILITY TO TALK OUTSIDE OF VOICE CLIPS." Player explained with Baldi's Think Pad.

"Very clever!" Baldi grinned, "I can't wait to use them! Not now, because I want to feel it being called to action, and not do so out of self-selection. That wouldn't be right."

"HOW CAN YOU TELL YOUR AI HAS BEEN CHANGED?"

"I can see it!" Baldi said at first, Player being confused. "Well, I can't SEE see it, but I can see it. Does that make any sense? No? Hm..." He thought for a moment, before snapping his polygonal digits. "Ah! It's like... I can detect changes in me, whether in my code, my AI, my model, or my dialogue."

"For example," Baldi continued, showing Player his hand, "If you were to, say, add a finger to my hand, I'd recognize it as a change in my model. Same goes if you removed one. I'm aware of my own programming, for the most part!"

"WHAT ABOUT THE CORRUPTION?"

"That, hm... That is a good point," Baldi thought about that, "Perhaps it's because it's a foreign addition, something I wasn't supposed to have? I mean, I shouldn't have eleven fingers either, but... That's a benign change. The corruption, needless to say, wasn't by any means." At last, Player nodded in understanding.

"I NEED YOU WITH ME AS I GRAB A NOTEBOOK."

"Oh, of course; lead the way!" Baldi nodded, following Player into one of the two first classrooms.

"TO TEST OUT YOUR NEW LINES, I MUST GET THE PROBLEMS WRONG." Baldi blinked in surprise.

"THERE ARE FIVE LINES, TO GO WITH YOUR MULTIPLE PRAISES." Baldi nodded.

"IF THIS GOES WRONG SOMEHOW, PREPARE FOR THE RESET." With that, Baldi took a breath to brace himself for the worst.

"I'm not ready, but go for it!" He finally said. Player nodded, taking the notebook. Despite the code telling Baldi to explain how to use the Think Pad, he decidedly said nothing and let Player be. If this could've caused game issues, he wouldn't have considered not doing so.

Baldi had always remembered the moment his mind would blank out, leaving an uncertain amount of time between what he would call 'napping' and 'awake', napping referring to the corruption taking hold of him, and awake referring to whenever a playthrough begins. Napping shouldn't be confused with sleeping, for sleeping occurred upon game shutdown.

So while he was preparing himself for such an event, it felt almost like a loss of balance when... Nothing of the sort happened. Instead, another call from the code to randomly pick between five different

"Aw, too bad! You'll get it next time!" As these were never used before, Baldi couldn't control the compulsion to follow the code's instruction. It simply fell out of his mouth, though with voluntary tone and inflection. It startled him. Player proceeded to get the other two problems incorrect, it causing much the same effect. "Oops! That doesn't look right!... Oh no! You'll have to try again!" Baldi was left shaking his head from it all, trying to collect himself from the experience.

"... Ah!" He finally said, processing what happened, "So in-character! I love them so far!"

Next came the second notebook.

"Nope! Keep on practicing!... Oops! That doesn't look right!... Sorry! That answer's off!" No sign of corruption or change, save for Baldi's inherent confusion from being tugged to say the lines he'd never said before, but when repeaters came, it felt more comfortable to utter. Afterwards came with the rest of the game, but Player only intended on grabbing one last notebook.

The five lines had been used at least once by now, so this time around Baldi's emitting of them felt more like he was saying whichever ones he most felt compelled to, much like whenever he'd say basically anything else.

"SORRY TO MAKE YOU GO THROUGH THAT."

"Oh no, it's alright!" Baldi waved it off lightly, "I wanted to be surprised, and I am! I love them all!!" Player gave Baldi a thumbs up, which he returned.

63. PLAYER - ?/7 - ??:??:??

"You have a surprise for me?" Baldi had responded after Player got the first two notebooks, "I'm so excited to see! What is it? No, don't tell me!! Ba ha, what am I saying?" He'd rambled while Player led him out into the rest of the school, down a hallway or two until they had stopped. What Baldi saw made him gasp and cover his mouth.

"My-- MY OFFICE??" He couldn't help but to yell out, "It's here? It's back? At long last??"

"THAT'S NOT ALL. I THINK WE'RE READY TO GIVE HIM A TOUR." Baldi gaped, unable to say anything at first, but his expressions said more than enough.

"GO ON IN. IT'S YOUR OFFICE, AFTER ALL." Baldi nodded at last, opening the door. It functioned like the other doors, not being odd in any way, and he could see inside. The interior was mostly unchanged, save for correcting the placement of the banana and the removal of the warped Baldi image.

The banana was placed on the single desk, as there really wasn't anywhere else to put it that would make sense. Then, from behind the desk, stood (or floated) the character that had remained here for so long. Baldi approached him, as the other noticed him being here, moving their form to gaze upon Baldi.

"Oh, hi!!" Baldi greeted, happy but his voice was cracking, "You're still here...!"

"Oh, jeepers," The other replied, seeing Player watching the two from the doorway, "And you're here again, but the outside looks... Different." Something was changed about the character, mostly in the fact that his voice sounded more normal, and wasn't interrupted by beeps. Although, their model remained the same.

"Yes, that's correct!" Baldi quickly replied, planting his hands on the desk, "This is the latest thing Player has done! They think you're ready to see the school--... MY schoolhouse!"

"Is that so?" Was the reply, as Baldi excitedly led him out of the room, "They moved the room to-- To the... Game?"

"Why, yes!" Baldi nodded gleefully, "But don't worry, this wasn't just the work of Player, they had some help! They had a friend who knew how code works, and they had me for... Well, making sure everything matched... His vision." The other character hmmed briefly, inspecting Player for a few moments.

"Oh-- Oh my God," He finally said, "Six right answers in a row... I don't... I don't know how that's possible, but, it's a really good start, I'll admit..." A pause, as he looked at Baldi again. "And you, Professor... You're still you, I can see it in your eyes. That's a good sign."

"Ah, that would explain a lot..." Baldi nodded to himself in agreement, "I have felt quite a bit more like myself ever since... Player, when did my eyes change?"

"WHEN WE SWAPPED. WAS TOO MAD TO CARE AT THE TIME. SORRY!"

"Wow, that far back?" Baldi laughed a bit, "We should really get some mirrors around here..." Afterwards, Baldi cleared his throat. "Anyway, welcome to my schoolhouse, ... Er, I never got your name! What should I call you?"

"I don't have one assigned," The other replied, almost matter-of-factly, "All I have is something defaulted. It went by, 'Filename2'. Even now I don't know what that means."

"Hmm, and I'm not aware of anyone that is referred to as 'Filename'," Baldi recalled, "Well, what would you like to be called, then?" The other character thought about it for a short while.

"... M," He finally said, "The letter: M. It just feels right."

"Alright, M!" Baldi complied, before leading the three of them around the schoolhouse. "Anyway, let's start the tour! I think you'll really enjoy it!"

It went like a dream, and it proved to be more than a mere tour of the schoolhouse interior - M and Baldi watched on as Player essentially played the game. From gathering notebooks, answering math trivia, interacting with the other characters, using the remaining sensible items... The whole bit and then some. The three of them got swept up by Sweeper once or twice, but they simply laughed it off. For a change, Player jumproped with Playtime, since there was no danger to be had, and it was easier to see Bully get busted.

All the while, and even before now, Baldi could feel that aura of peacefulness surrounding every inch of the schoolhouse. He took this as a sure-fire sign that everything was going to be okay, at long last.

Eventually, Player took the last notebook with a soft smile, feeling a bit of nostalgia somehow. At this point, Baldi had noticed, eagerly speaking to M.

"Oh, oh, oh!!" He began, "Here comes the best part, the part I've been wanting to do forever!" An inhale later, Baldi continued, with a much higher volume this time, "Congratulations! You've found all seven notebooks! Whenever you're ready, we'll meet you at the exit to say goodbye!"

The exit spoken of was the one in the beginning, where Baldi had taken M to, as the rest of the cast appeared and lined up together. There, they all watched as Player appeared, looking upon them all.

"You did it!" Baldi exclaimed, before adding something else, "Oh, and what's this? You got a perfect score! As your Math professor, I am so proud of you! You're a very smart kid, and I'm sure you'll do great things with all your smarts!" M watched as the other cast members bounced and cheered for Player's success, while Baldi flashed Player a thumbs up. When they had calmed, a message appeared above Player.

"Hold Spacebar to wave goodbye to your friends!!" Before they could start, however, Baldi approached them, bending down to their level. His voice was quieter.

"Alright, this is going to be a bit off-script," He began, "But I do have something else to say, and I think it's important. You..." He paused for a moment, desperately trying to not tear up, "You've made my game playable again, the way it was intended to be played. So, for that: Thank you, for everything." After saying all this, Baldi promptly hugged Player, not only in affection and gratitude, but to also hide his leaking eyes. Player returned the gesture, happily.

When they broke it off, Baldi stepped back to be around the other characters, waving Player off at last. He'd made sure his tears were gone, though it was still hard to contain them as Player held Spacebar and waved goodbye in turn.

"Goodbye! Have a good weekend!" Baldi said one last time, while Player left through the doors, ending the game.

"... Well, I'm happy," M said when they left, using their remaining time to talk, "There was only math, and not more subjects, but it's a good start. There'll probably be more eventually. So, I can die peacefully now."

"Die?" Baldi wondered, "But we're characters! We don't really... Die, here."

"But I want to," M said simply. "I was created purely from spite, due to the tainting of his work. But now that, uh... Now that everything's going back to the way it was meant to be, I don't have any reason to, well, exist, anymore."

"But M, we just got you out, got you named!" Baldi replied, hoping to change his mind, "You could stay here! I'm sure Player could find something for you, or I could! Regardless of reason, you were made, and so you should be able to stay!"

"A pessimist such as me, heh..." M shrugged it off, "I wouldn't fit in so well, here. And I don't want to be changed just for that. You wouldn't want to be, either; you can't--... Deny that."

"That is true," Baldi frowned, knowing M was right, "Still... Are you sure? Being erased is what you really want?"

"Yes," M said again, still firm on his decision, "I, as his restless spirit, can finally pass on from this mortal plane. Well, mortal from, uh... It's a metaphor." At last, Baldi sighed, not liking this idea, but allowing himself to respect M's wishes.

"Alright..." He said, though not without hesitation, "I'll be sure to let Player know, when they come back. I'm sure this playthrough was just the tip of the math iceberg anyway, so I know they'll return."

"Thank you, Professor," M replied with what looked like a nod, "Hope all your teaching goes well."

"Trust me, I'll make sure of it!" Baldi proclaimed, as the game shut down into darkness, "Though for now, we sleep. But, I'll miss you, M..."

63. PLAYER - 7/7 - 00:19:45 ✪

14-15-23  23-5  3-1-14  2-5  23-8-1-20  8-5  9-14-20-5-14-4-5-4

Chapter Text

20-8-9-14-7-19  1-18-5  1-12-23-1-25-19  5-22-5-18  3-8-1-14-7-9-14-7

From Player's perspective, many months had passed. In the beginning, no updates had appeared, yet they felt like there was more that could be implemented, so they thought about the idea of creating such things. Certainly possible, though would require more work later on.

Their friend agreed on helping them, but Player felt it right to at least pay them for their troubles.

Eventually, one new thing was introduced by Player - the player database. Baldi would now spawn on the database screen instead of at the schoolhouse, so he was able to take a look at whatever the person on the other side did on the screen. It was a first for him, and was ecstatic upon waking up to seeing it.

"Oh, hi!" He began, but then exclaimed, "Welcome to-- Wait. Oh, this is-- AH! It's PERFECT!!" He had to have a moment to marvel at it before continuing, "And look at that! It comes with a confirmation window! Ahh, and you get to see your best records!! I love it...!" When Player had selected themself, and then Story Mode, Baldi was moved to this usual spot, while Player appeared at theirs.

"They didn't do this, did they...?" He asked. Player shook their head, but gained a smirk. "It was you and your friend?? Thank you both so much!!"

Another addition added not long after was awareness to the PC's date and year. This inclusion allowed Baldi to see just how much time was really passing. Nextly, if a player was returning, Baldi would say "Welcome back!" Instead of "Welcome to my schoolhouse!". It just made more sense this way.

At some point, Player's friend had an idea of an inclusion - a way for Player to show Baldi things from their world. That briefly expanded to another idea where they would flat-out give Baldi access to the Internet, but that was quickly disagreed upon with a "Yeah, too soon, too soon. Baby steps."

Maybe someday, but not today.

It took a lot of time and work, but eventually that former idea was unveiled as a computer lab. Inside were rows of computers, which resembled ones from the time the game tries to take place in. There was a desk for the instructor, of course, which had it's own computer. For accessibility sake, a computer was put in Baldi's office as well.

But it was mostly because Player and their friend couldn't decide where to put the teacher's one.

Tests were ran. As of this point, the computer was equipped with a chat client, which allowed open communication between the player and Baldi. It was retrofitted with lowercase typing, and also allowed file sharing, but nothing beyond that and being able to view all the shared content. From the outside, Player could drag and drop files from their PC into the game, which would register it as sending to Baldi. Theoretically, Baldi could do the same, though his method would only be defined by what he could send out from the game's files, or whatever Player had given him.

The sent images started as simple objects, the point being whether or not Baldi could see and identify the contents. Then, the images became more complex, until eventually it was deemed possible for Baldi to see just about anything in an image.

Text files were proven possible even more quickly. Audio... Brought interesting results.

Baldi was used to imagery and text, but there was very little audio in his tiny game world. As such, coupled with his very acute hearing, this was the first time where he displayed a lack of comprehension. With it came a small touch of fear. Like other types of tests, Player had started with simplistic tunes, so they took it a step backward.

By backward, they instead sent what sounded like melodies from the game, just with different pairs of instruments. Luckily, this calmed and eased Baldi forward again. This time, Player accelerated the complexity much more slowly, at least until Baldi let them know to up the ante. Player soon found that Baldi had a fascination with midis and electronic music. In his words, both felt "familiar".

Finally, there was video, which was the culmination of imagery and audio, which should've been simple enough. It turned out that sound effects didn't receive the same affect as music itself had, which somehow made sense. The tests here involved further comprehension of the material, with videos designed to instill certain emotions. Baldi described appropriate reactions in each one.

After everything, Player concluded that Baldi's AI was truly state-of-the-art, perhaps even decades ahead of their time. Concluding this, it became a regular occurrence for Player to share media from their world to Baldi, who was eager to learn and get a taste of it.

Once, Player saw what looked like a preview image for an update, but they weren't so certain. They shared it with Baldi.

"This was on the developers' Twitter. What do you see?" Wrote Player.

"It's dark. I see grass. Many trees. The sky. A fire! I don't know what the white object on the bottom left is, though." Wrote Baldi.

"What do you think it means?" Wrote Player.

"Everything matches the style used in the images of my game. Wherever this is, it's outside my schoolhouse!" Wrote Baldi.

"Interesting. Thank you!" Wrote Player. If it was truly an update for Baldi's game, that would only mean... Oh boy, the fun to be had when it came to dealing with that. Though for now, it would remain uncertain, allowing them both to let it go.

Not Player's friend, however. They had decided to rework the changes and additions into an addable template on its own file, relying on a few calls from the original. So long as certain places weren't altered to prevent calling for the new file, things worked out the way it was going just before. It was thought of as more like an add-on than anything else.

Very impressive.

As months rolled around, it was confirmed that not only was it an update, it was a demo for future things to come - a "full version" of Baldi's Basics had been funded online. Player decided to not think too hard about what horrors could come from that. They weren't even sure if they wanted to bring it up to Baldi himself, considering the possible responses.

That, and the detailed purpose of the full version led Player to believe that fixing such a thing back into the original creator's vision would seem impossible. Only time would tell, and even then, they just hoped Baldi wouldn't get the impression of being reduced to an inferior version.

At some point, during another session of media sharing, Baldi couldn't help himself but to bring up something that could've been considered unheard of, given the situation he was in. It was something Player didn't even realize Baldi was capable of feeling.

Sure, he had a wide library of emotions, but... Even this was new to them.

"Player, this may seem out of the blue, but may I talk to you about something?" Wrote Baldi.

"Go for it." Wrote Player.

"Alright. Let me say this upfront, first. I am very, very grateful for all you and your friend have done for me. Fixing me, fixing the game, adding some cool things. I know it must've been very hard for you both, so I really hope I'm not coming off as... Ungrateful, or selfish, or spoiled... When I ask something of you."

"Yes?" Wrote Player, who started getting concerned. Baldi was never usually one to side-step what he had to say. In fact, Baldi was always direct when it came to expressing anything.

"Additionally, I wish to tell you that I'm also quite grateful for your presence, your playthroughs, or just coming over to talk to me. Your company is very, very much appreciated. I only hope I won't be asking for too much when I ask this... But then again..." Wrote Baldi.

"... Yes?" Wrote Player, again.

"Player, you have friends, other people to talk to, or to hang out with. Surely, when my game is off, you're seeing them, in your world, while I sleep for what feels like moments. Hm, perhaps I'm turning green with envy, but... I'm starting to wish I could have that, too. More friends. More company. More people to talk to." Wrote Baldi, after much hesitation. It felt odd.

Player didn't know what to write back at first. This allowed Baldi to write some more.

"The only other person I was able to talk to is gone now, at his own request. He was great, I miss him. Everyone else... I've tried. They're not like me; I'm the only one. Maybe it's my role or something, I don't know. Not even Principal, who should be higher up than me! I have better luck talking to the plants..." Baldi's sentences started to become more unfocused, rambling even.

Player sat there, reading it repeatedly, trying to find something to say. They had to admit, they too wouldn't find happiness in only one person to interact with. Most people wouldn't. Baldi, with how sociable he is, would be no exception.

"I know it was an eye opener when I realized I was the only advanced AI in the game, but I didn't think too hard about it at first. Though now, due to it, I feel like I desperately want to meet and talk to someone new. Someone who CAN! I know it's probably impossible, unless someone else played this exact instance, or if, perhaps..." Wrote Baldi, once again. Player didn't bother writing anything back this time, figuring that it'd be best to allow Baldi the ability to let off steam.

"... No, I don't know if making the others sentient would be ethical, let alone possible. They lack the will to say something, sure, but... Would it really be right? Would it be going against his vision?" He wrote, before there was a short pause.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I wrote far too much. Please let me try again." Another pause.

"I'm lonely. It's making me envious of you. It's making me wonder things I never have before. I was scared to talk about it. Now I went and dumped all this on you too quickly, which makes me feel worse. You two do so much for me already, so what right do I have to ask for more?" After that, Baldi had stopped typing things. At last, Player had something to say.

"It's okay to want something. Whether or not you get it, is a different thing entirely. That said, I know what you mean. I'm sorry you have to deal with that. I also don't know about the others, that would be a huge undertaking for even ONE of them. So, if that doesn't happen, then maybe..." Wrote Player at last. They were surprised at how quickly Baldi responded.

"I see. I understand. It would be hard. 'Maybe'...? Maybe what?" Wrote Baldi.

"Well, don't worry about it now, Professor. Hang in there, I'll think of something." Wrote Player. It left Baldi curious as to what Player meant by that.

Player went to their friend about the situation. To their surprise, their friend was more than willing to attempt something like this, but on two conditions - the first being patience, and the other... Involved makeovers.

As their friend had said, "No sentient AI is going to be caught dead looking like a flat 2D render on my watch." Player took up the duty on the art department, with Baldi being a second pair of eyes.

"This'll take a long time, probably several months. Not sure if it's for all of them, or just one." Wrote Player.

"Oh, that's fine! I can wait! Besides, time passes very quickly when I sleep!" Wrote Baldi.

"Okay, so what do you think about the one for the Principal? I'm using your style as reference." Wrote Player.

"I love it! He's perfect!! Do you think I could... Look a bit like that, too?" Wrote Baldi.

"Huh? You'd like your model changed?" Wrote Player.

"If that isn't asking too much!" Wrote Baldi.

"Okay, sure. Let me know what you'd like, and I'll generate a mockup." Wrote Player.

In the end, Baldi had requested minor changes, ones that didn't seem very altering in the grand scheme of things. For some reason, he requested his limbs to appear disconnected from his torso, though the joints would stay together. He also asked for his fingers and thumbs to follow this route, but joints remaining connected. Lastly, he wanted the sleeves and pantlegs to appear as though they were being worn.

While Player found it odd, they didn't question Baldi. When the changes were eventually made, Baldi was overjoyed. It was good to see him excitable again.

One day, Player came in.

"Oh, hi!" Baldi greeted, along with a new line, "Welcome back! And. Merry Christmas! ...Oooh, it's Christmas today!!"

"MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU TOO!" Wrote Player from Baldi's Think Pad.

"SPEAKING OF, I HAVE SOMEONE I'D LIKE YOU TO MEET, PROFESSOR."

"You do?" Baldi asked, grinning excitedly, "Is it your coding friend?"

"NO, BUT I'M SURE YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED."

"Oh, you'd be absolutely correct!" Baldi agreed with a nod, "Let me meet them! Wait, but that means... Are you going to--?" He cut himself off mid-sentence as Player left, Baldi returning to the database screen. He watched as the cursor went over to "NEW", and clicked.

A whole other menu that Baldi wasn't aware of appeared. A field for name, checkboxes for gender (male, female, other), and another field for birthday. All he could do was watch in stunned silence as the fields were filled.

NAME: AMELIA
GENDER: GIRL
BIRTHDAY: 03/31

"Amelia...?" Baldi muttered to himself at first, before he was stopped as the information was submitted. It caused him to spout a new line. "What a great name! Nice to meet you, Amelia!" It was a miracle how he was able to keep his composure during all this. Amelia was selected, then Story Mode.

23. AMELIA - ?/7 - ??:??:??

The person appeared where Player would've, and Baldi saw a difference in appearance. Unlike Player's indistinguishable model, what with "OTHER" being used, Amelia's was feminine, to go along with "GIRL" having been selected.

"Oh, hi!" Baldi began again, "Welcome to my schoolhouse! And. Merry Christmas!" Amelia approached, making Player's familiar gestures to use Baldi's Think Pad. He handed it over.

"THIS IS MY DAUGHTER, AMELIA."

"You're... You're a parent?" Baldi covered his mouth in surprise, "I... Wow, I hadn't even thought about who you were behind the screen. But yes, hello Amelia! I'm Professor Baldi! It really is nice to meet you!"

"I'M GIVING THIS GAME TO HER AS ONE OF HER PRESENTS." If Baldi had a heart, it would've almost stopped.

"It's really alright, to do that?" Baldi asked again, "I mean, I know things are fine, and yet... Really? We're ready for something like that?" Amelia, or Player as Amelia, nodded. "Will I still see you, Player?" Another nod, which relieved Baldi.

"HOWEVER, PROFESSOR, I HAVE A PRESENT FOR YOU TOO." Baldi said nothing as another message was written.

"HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO GUIDE A REAL FIRST GRADER?" At first, Baldi didn't know what to say. The idea was so much of a surprise, that he simply failed to utter anything for a few moments. At last, he gave a reply, it being a hearty

"I would LOVE to!!"

"OKAY, THEN I'LL LEAVE YOU TO IT."

"I TOLD HER THAT IF SHE NEEDS HELP, TO LET ME KNOW." Baldi nodded at this, figuring that it would be much, much more difficult to communicate with her compared to an adult. In fact, Baldi never figured out how Player could express all those gestures to begin with.

"Alright!" He said at last, "See you later!" Amelia waved, then handed Baldi the Think Pad. After a few moments more, he started again, doing his best to sound enthused, but professional, "Are you ready for some fun?"

Though it took a bit, Baldi saw what looked like an attempt at a nod. How was it that players could do these things? Baldi made a note to himself to ask Player when he got the chance. For now, there was a new friend, a new STUDENT, to teach and guide. It was his duty!

On the inside, he screamed in utter excitement and joy, to at last teach a student from the age demographic, not to mention a new person altogether. On the outside, he carefully and casually guided the young one around his school, through the notebooks and Think Pads, to the other characters (who were still the same at this moment), and everything in between.

With one or two minor issues, Amelia got all the notebooks at last. It was like she had gotten lost after encountering First Prize. Baldi was more than willing to help her get back on track.

The end sequence played out, it taking moments before Amelia managed to end the game. It was back to the database screen again.

23. AMELIA - 7/7 - 00:24:11 ★

"You beat Story Mode, great job!" Baldi spouted this time with some applause, "Can you get a better score? Try again to find out! Or, you can grab as many notebooks as you can in Endless Mode! It's all up to you!"

The moment Baldi saw Player again, he lost all his composure.

23-8-1-20  23-9-12-12  20-8-5-9-18  6-21-20-21-18-5-19  8-15-12-4