Disclaimer: I do not own Five Nights At Freddy's. Scott Cawthon does. If I'd owned Five Nights at Freddy's, it would be a clear and undisputed fact that both Mangle/Toy Foxy and Funtime Foxy are girls.
William wiped his forehead with his sleeve. Normally, he wouldn't have done this while wearing one of his special shirts, and he would have worn something else today, but today was a special day. Several years had been devoted to this project. Now, he just hoped she would work. As he looked over the small robot in front of him, he couldn't help but smile. She seemed so peaceful as she lay sleeping. He glanced up at the wall, where several photos were pinned to the cork-board.
After the incident at the old Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria-the Bite of '87, as people had started calling it-William had gone to visit his daughter, who was struggling with cancer. He was happy to see her smile, even as her health faltered. But he hadn't been prepared for when she asked him where her brothers were.
William's smile faded, and he tried to think of a way to answer her. How could he explain to his cancer-stricken daughter that her older brother and his friends had essentially killed her little brother? He couldn't. He told her that they were at school, which thankfully worked, given that it was Tuesday. He never wanted to lie, not to her, but what choice did he have? He only felt worse when she replied "Oh. I really hoped I'd get to see them. Maybe they'll be able to come next time." The worst part was, there never would have been a next time even if William had been telling the truth. Just a few days after that visit, she died. Then his oldest son fell victim to the wrath of Funtime Bonnie three years later, and was never heard from again.
Now, the second modeling of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria was being introduced, and now there were Toy models of the old Freddy Fazbear crew, though the new Foxy had apparently been made a girl, as well as two balloon vendor animatronics, named Balloon Boy and JJ, and...that puppet.
Nobody was sure where that thing came from. William had never designed it, and it had just appeared in the big box in the prize corner one day, as if it had been there the whole time. William tried whenever possible to avoid it. He never really liked the Puppet anyway; it was always...thinking.
Without Chica and Bonnie on the Funtime team, he needed to make a new robot. He'd already supplied the two of them with a graceful Ballerina, whom he named Ballora. But the team still didn't feel complete, even when one of William's colleagues gave Funtime Freddy a Bonnie hand puppet, since Funtime Freddy and Funtime Bonnie were close friends back in the day. After loosing both of his sons to the robots he had helped design, he feared that he'd unintentionally bring that kind of trauma onto other families. One last project, and then he would be done.
The final result of this project was now laying on the table. With a deep breath, Willam inserted her power source. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, just as William was about to give up hope, her eyes opened for the first time.
She slowly sat up, looking around the room before making eye contact with the only other sentient being present. "Hello," she said with a pleasant smile. "It's nice to meet you. My name is.." Her expression froze, and William grew worried. Then, she began to ponder for a moment. "Wait...do I have a name?"
William had designed her in a way that her understanding of the world, or at least enough of it to work for her position as a robotic entertainer, would emerge shortly after activating for the first time. After a few minutes, she realized what her name was. "Oh, sorry, now I remember," she giggled. "Let's start over. Hello. My name is Circus Baby."
It worked, William thought. She's perfect. He couldn't help the tears from trickling as he suddenly hugged her. Although she now understood her role as an entertainer, as well as who William was, she didn't quite understand why he was reacting this way. Nonetheless, she returned the hug, noting how he seemed to be crying a little bit as they hugged. After a few minutes, William decided to show her to her new teammates. He took her hand as they walked out, and it felt so much like he was just walking with his daughter again.
As they entered the room, Funtime Freddy was chatting with Bon Bon, as the Bonnie Hand Puppet was commonly known. "HEY BAWN BAWN," Funtime Freddy said in a loud voice. "WHA-WHA-WHAT DO YOU G-GET WHEN YOU C-C-CROSS A RIVER WITH A B-B-B-BOAT?" When the Hand puppet stated that he didn't know, Funtime Freddy replied, "YOU GET TO THE OTHER SIDE, OF COURSE!" Bon Bon was the only one who actually laughed. William officially knew his last favor for Fazbear Entertainment would have to be finding someone to fix that bear's blasted voice box. And maybe teach him some decent jokes...
Funtime Foxy, who was slouched over a table nearby, rolled her eyes and sighed in response to her friend's lackluster joke. Then she caught sight of William walking over to them, holding the hand of a little girl. "Hey, everyone," The white-and-pink fox called. "Mr. Afton's finally out of the office." The others rushed over to see the newcomer.
"Oh," the little girl said, as she was suddenly surrounded. "H-h-hello. My name is Circus Baby." She gave a sheepish wave, like a child trying to make new friends at school. Ballora was the first to break the ice.
"Why, hello there, Circus Baby," the tall ballerina said. "My name is Ballora, and they are the Minireenas." She curtsied as she introduced herself, and the Minireenas followed suit.
"Well, it is nice to make your acquaintance, dear." Funtime Foxy greeted. "My name is Funtime Foxy." She offered her hand to the little girl, and after a second, Baby shook it. The introductions were cut short when a boisterous purple-and-white bear jumped up and shouted "WELL HELLOOOOO THEEERRE!" Funtime Foxy face palmed with a groan and said, "And that's Funtime Freddy."
Rather than wait for her to reach out for his free hand, Funtime Freddy reached out and took her hand, shaking it vigorously. "HEY-HEY-HEY THERE, K-K-K-KIDDO! I-I'M FUN-FUN-FUNTIME FREDDY! A-A-AND THIS-THIS-THIS IS BAWN BAWN!" The little blue bunny waved a quiet hello, and Circus Baby waved back.
"Alright, guys." William said after a minute. "I'm glad you're already getting along so well. Circus Baby is going to be the new member of the group. So make sure to help get her settled in." The animatronics agreed, and headed off to the start the tour. William pulled Baby off to the side, wanting to say a few more things to her.
"So, what do you think, kiddo?" He asked her. "Do you think you can do it?"
Baby thought for a moment. Then she turned to her creator and said, "Well, they seem nice. Ballora seems so...well...calm, I guess. And the Minireenas seem friendly enough. I like how polite Funtime Foxy is. Now Funtime Freddy..." She paused for a second to consider how to word her answer. "...he sure is loud, for one thing. But Bon Bon's cute. As for whether or not I can do this, I feel really nervous. What if the kids don't like me?"
William placed a hand on her shoulder and said "Hey. Don't worry. You'll be fine. Even if you mess up, they'll be right there for you."
The little girl smiled as she went in for a close hug, like a child hugging a parent. "Thank you, Mr. Afton." She said.
Although caught off guard at first, William welcomed, and in fact returned, the hug. He couldn't hold back the tears that trickled down his face. As they pulled away, Baby noticed that William was crying and asked what was wrong. Figuring he may as well tell her, William explained how Baby reminded him of his daughter, who had lost her battle with cancer six years ago. He also explained what had happened to his sons as well.
Upon hearing about what had happened to the older brother, Baby said, "Well, maybe that was like karma for what had happened to your youngest kid."
"Maybe so," William said with a sigh. "He always was a bit of a bully to everyone, except my daughter. But he was still my son."
From down the hall, the unmistakably loud voice of Funtime Freddy called out, "HEY-HEY-HEY, CIRCUS BABY! WE-WE-WE WANT TO SH-SHOW YOU AROUND! COME-COME-COME ON!" With a chuckle, William bent down to tell her one last thing.
"Looks like it's showtime, kid. Good luck." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Thanks, Mr. Afton." She replied. They hugged each other one last time. Then she rushed down the hall for the tour with her new friends.
William watched as she left, then checked his watch. He turned around to go pack up his things so he could head home. He paused for a moment, recalling the last time he spoke with his daughter in the hospital.
"Daddy, look," the little girl said happily. She handed him a picture she drew of herself with her parents, and her brothers. Michael was holding a foxy plushie, while Bobby was, unsurprisingly, holding a Fredbear plushie...and he wasn't crying at all.
William took the drawing and smiled. He was proud of his little angel. Then he noticed that his daughter had drawn herself holding a doll. It had red-orange hair that was in two ponytails. Curious, he asked her who it was in the picture.
"That's Circus Girl, Daddy," the little girl explained. "She can dance, she can sing, and she's great with entertaining children. I was hoping that with there being some changes for Freddy and his friends, that maybe they could bring in some new members. What do you think, Daddy?"
William smiled at the picture, then at the wonderful artist who drew it. "It's wonderful, sweetheart." He said with pride in his voice. "You did a great job. Maybe if the people I work for hear about this, they may let me make her real for you."
"And then she could come say hi to me, and perform at my birthday?" the little girl asked, her eyes sparkling with the wonder only a child can express. William loved that about children. They looked at the world with such innocence and wonder. He couldn't imagine the reasoning one would need to have for intentionally harming anything as precious as an innocent child.
"Maybe someday, sweetheart. Now Daddy has to go now. Be good for Mommy, okay?"
"Okay, Daddy." the little girl responded.
"Good girl." William smiled, as he hugged her tightly. He kissed her on the forehead, then got up to leave.
"Wait, Daddy." she called out as he reached for the doorknob. He turned around to look at her.
"I love you, Daddy." She said happily.
William smiled as he replied, "I love you too, sweetheart."
He smiled at the memory, and noticed as that he was now holding the same exact drawing she had given him all those years ago. He smiled as he carefully placed it in a folder. As he stepped outside, he cast a glance back at the building. He smiled and murmured under his breath. "Don't worry, my little angel. Your wish has finally come true."