Isaac Hawthorne casually walked the halls of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, hands tucked into his pockets. He did this before every shift, simply to remind himself of what exactly it was he was doing in this place. Sometimes, it reinforced his resolve to do his job, sometimes it terrified him. But he had watched these halls for nearly three months, and he had a strange determination to not let the place stop him. It was something like half an hour before the night shift officially started. It was the only time the place was truly quiet. After the place closed to the public eye, maintenance crews worked for hours to clean up messes or check the animatronics and equipment scattered around the restaurant. At night, the animatronics wandered the halls.
Isaac sighed, leaning against the wall and bringing his hands up to his face. It was Christmas Eve, almost Christmas, and today was the last day Freddy Fazbear's Pizza was opened for the next week or so. The day-workers got the time off, and so did all but the most necessary maintenance workers. Even the third night guard, the most senior of them all, got paid time off. Isaac and Destiny, the other night guard, were both working tonight, though Destiny got Christmas night and the night after off, paid, to spend with her little sister.
Isaac was far away from home. He was working Christmas night alone because of it, but it was his choice. He had left home of his own volition, and was the only guard available to work the shift on Christmas. It's not all bad, Isaac thought as he pondered the situation, at least the animatronics have been passive lately. Strangely enough, the animatronics had been content to spook the guards as of late, with only one or two attempts made towards physically harming them, made by the more aggressive animatronics. One or two of them had even been friendly, especially the strange little fox kit, with more tails than it needed.
Despite all the time he had spent here, he still could only barely remember the names of all the main animatronics, let alone all the new additions and spares.
As Isaac went deeper into thought, the chime suddenly sounded. Isaac looked up with a start, realizing it was time for the shift. He straightened his tie, and set off towards the security office, wondering if Destiny had gotten there before him again.
Destiny stared at the monitor, already bored out of her mind. Her shift was just about to start, and she knew she would have to spend it with Isaac. She huffed just at the thought of him. He always found new ways to get under his skin, so damn smug. She preferred working her shifts alone, but the manager had insisted on both of them working Christmas Eve, claiming the animatronics would be more active. Destiny huffed again. So what? I've been fine on my own so far.
Resting her chin on her fist, she sighed. Destiny was tall and slender, and her skin was a natural gold. Her hair, tied into a moderately long ponytail for work, was dyed cyan. She took liberties with her work uniform, wearing a plain white long-sleeve shirt, with her security badge hanging loosely from her collar. She also wore plain black pants, and matching tennis-shoes.
Destiny perked up as she heard something from within the hallway. She frowned as Isaac approached, wearing the company's suggested security apparel; a long-sleeved, blue button-up shirt, black pants, boots, and a black ball-cap. His security badge was on a lanyard around his neck. He was just slightly shorter than Destiny, and wore an almost-goofy half-grin.
"Hey Dess," Isaac said as he entered the office, "How's life been treating you?"
Destiny ignored Isaac's use of her nickname, and stood, motioning to her former seat. "Good, you're here. Watch the cameras."
Isaac shrugged, and took the seat, bringing up the monitor and giving the building and quick once-over to make sure everybody was where they belonged. Destiny was secretly relieved that Isaac had shown up. She hated watching the monitor - it gave her a headache. Taking a seat in the far corner of the room, Destiny sighed and prepared herself for what was most definitely going to be a long night.
It was around half past midnight when the first of the animatronics began to stir. The original Chica, far worse for the wear than the new, shiny version, was the first to wake. Chica stayed still for several long moments, but eventually left the room.
Chica was excited. She had only one thing on her mind. It's Christmas! She knew most of the others wouldn't be awake, but she simply needed to do something. She busied herself by preparing for the celebration, finding the bits and pieces she and a few of the other animatronics had scattered around in places they wouldn't be noticed.
As Chica passed through the Game Area, she noticed that the cheery little boy normally standing vigil was gone, and smiled softly. She heard soft laughter from behind a stack of gifts, and went towards them. The stack was knocked over as Balloon Boy jumped clumsily out from behind, holding a bundle of presents, all messily wrapped.
"Mama!" the little animatronic cheered, nearly tripping over one of the boxes he had toppled. He proudly presented the gifts he carried. "Look, I wrapped them all by myself!"
Chica gave the boy a pat on his head and smiled. "Good job, sweetie. You did wonderfully." She gave him another encouraging pat, and gently pushed him towards the hall. "Go set them under the tree, and start waking everybody up."
Balloon Boy smiled brightly and went off to do as he was told. Chica watched him as he went, before realizing she still had plenty to do.
Things were quiet in the Kids' Cove. An endoskeleton, bearing nearly no external pieces, lay in a crumpled heap in one corner. Beside it, a much smaller animatronic was curled up, almost resembling a ball of white fluff. As Balloon Boy ran past the door, he skidded to a sudden halt, and poked his head in.
"Wake up!" he shouted excitedly. "It's Christmas!" Without waiting for a response, he rushed back out of the room.
Mangle shifted, her endoskeletal form making it appear surprisingly similar to a writhing snake. The little ball of white beside her eventually uncurled.
The small, white-furred fox beside sat up groggily. She was the size of the children who would typically come into Freddy's, and built to appear impossibly cute to all who saw her. Atop her head, she had a set of fox ears, tipped with red fur, as well as deep red "bangs" curling onto her forehead. On her belly was a red, heart-shaped blotch. On all four of her paws, Poking out from her lower back were six white-furred fox-tails, softer even than the rest of her fur, and tipped with red. Her paws similarly ended in red.
"Mama…" the little animatronic said sleepily, "It's Christmas?"
"Y-y-y-es, V-Vixie." Mangle answered, her voice nearly as distorted as her body.
Vixie suddenly perked up. In a flash of movement, she was up on her hind-paws, and she bolted for the door. "Oh boy!" She stopped at the door, and looked back to Mangle. "Can I go with BB?"
Mangle gave a nod, and was about to speak when Vixie took off again. She laughed, the sound coming out of her voice-box raspy and shrill. Another figure appeared at the door, and Mangle was relieved to see it was Foxy. The pirate gave the equivalent of a warm smile, and stepped into the room.
"The wee lass is so full of energy." Foxy said.
"S-s-she's a handful s-s-sometimes." Mangle agreed quietly.
Foxy approached Mangle slowly, stopping just a pace away, far closer than many of the other animatronics would come to her. There was a long, almost tense silence.
"But she's our handful," Foxy added meaningfully, giving Mangle a no-less meaningful look. "A fine wee lass, much like her mother." There was another silence, in which both foxes couldn't look at one another. It had been quite a while since Vixie had been delivered, and Foxy and Mangle had been declared parents, but neither of them were used to it yet.
Since Mangle's unfortunate conversion into a literal toy for children to assemble or pull apart as they saw fit, many of the other animatronics had kept their distance, and Mangle had been fine with that. Foxy had been the exception, and he had often tried to console his counterpart. It had never done much good, until their relationship had suddenly become far more intimate.
Finally, Mangle, still looking away, quietly said "Th-thank you…"
Foxy's warm smile returned to him, and he gave Mangle's snout an affectionate, teasing pat as he walked past, heading for the small, ever-present stack of gift-boxes near the table. Dropping to a knee, he carefully opened one, mindful of his hook, and reached inside. He lifted its contents, and turned to show it to Mangle. It was shaped like a book, delicately-wrapped in plain brown paper. Mangle watched curiously as Foxy approached again.
"For Vixie." Foxy explained, grinning. "I think she'll like it."
"H-h-how did you hide it?" Mangle asked, knowing the energetic little kit had been looking for her gift since hearing about it.
Foxy's grin only widened. "The wee tyke looked everywhere but here." He gave Mangle one last warm smile before making to leave the room, Vixie's gift tucked under his arm. As he stepped out into the hallway, his eyepatch flipped up, and he gave Mangle a knowing wink. "Yours is around, too." And then he was gone.
The little family of three had spent quite a bit of time preparing for Christmas. Darky and Cadon had helped with the decorations, while little Phoenix's energy kept spirit up. With all their preparations done, they had little to do but wait.
"Sis, when're we gonna open gifts?" Phoenix whined. Phoenix was a small griffin, the last of the three childlike animatronics in the restaurant. Half-feathered, half-furred, her feathers were gold, save for her wings, which were red at the end, orange in middle, and gold near her body. Her furred lower-half, leonine in nature, was golden-brown, though her paws were darker than the rest of her body. A lion's tail swished lazily behind her.
"Later, Phoenix." Darky replied softly. "Calm down, it's not the end of the world." Darky was a dog, and uniquely, most comfortable as a quadruped. Her color-scheme was metallic in nature, with her main body being silver, though her belly was gold, and she had copper-toned streaks running through her coat. Both of her ears were pierced with small gold rings.
"Why don't you go find Balloon Boy and Vixie?" Cadon suggested. Cadon was a cat, the majority of his coat being black, with his paws and a small portion of the tip of his tail being white. His muzzle was also white, with the patch stretching down to the uppermost part of his chest. He had a set of cat-ears atop his head, and his tail was upraised behind him. He wore a cowboy's hat, as well as a vest and a gun-belt, holding two six-shooter cap-guns.
Without waiting for a response or approval from Darky, the little griffin ran for the door, disappearing into the hallway, clicking her beak excitedly as she went. Darky and Cadon exchanged amused glances.
Cadon scratched at his chin in thought for a moment, before shrugging. "Perhaps we should go find the others, and see if there's anything that still needs to be done?"
Darky returned his shrug. "Sure. It's better than sitting here doing nothing."
And so the two set off, heading for the show stage, where nearly all group-activities took place between the animatronics. On the way there, Toy Chica rounded a corner, colliding with Cadon and sending both animatronics to the ground.
Toy Chica, remarkably, looked as though the collision had barely phased her. She rose quickly to her feet. "Oopsies." She said quietly. "Sorry! Have you seen Freddy?"
Cadon, more affected, groaned dizzily as he stood. "No, haven't seen him."
Toy Chica shrugged, and kept on walking, waving a friendly goodbye as she did so. Cadon waved back. He remembered, not too long ago, someone saying something about Toy Chica not being quite as smart as her original counterpart; "She's as dumb as she is pretty", was the exact phrasing. Cadon wasn't one to make rude remarks, but it seemed to fit her remarkably well sometimes.
Freddy smiled softly as the younger animatronics sprinted past him, Vixie leading, Phoenix behind her, and Balloon Boy, dragging along a small clutch of balloons, taking up the rear. He was fond of the little ones, everyone was; even bitter old Jack, who usually shut himself away from the others. Balloon Boy seemed to be the most obvious exception to Jack's policy of isolation.
Hearing footsteps, Freddy turned around, expecting to see the children again. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw Toy Chica instead. Toy Chica leaped into Freddy's arms, hugging him tightly and pecking at his cheek.
"Fuzzbear!" Toy Chica squealed happily as Freddy returned her embrace. It was a nickname only she and Toy Bonnie could ever get away with. "We're getting started soon, you should come on!"
Without waiting for a response, Toy Chica tugged insistently on Freddy's paw, and dragged him down the hall, towards the show stage. Freddy sighed, smiling softly, and let himself be led. As Toy Chica led him on, the three children ran past, giggling and shouting as they raced ahead.
Nearly everyone was gathered at the show stage now. Chica and Toy Freddy were on the stage, talking quietly. The young animatronics were gathered near the towering Christmas tree, speaking to one another in hushed whispers, occasionally giggling, or turning to glance at something or someone. Toy Bonnie sat on the edge of the stage, one leg kicking idly as he waited. He, of all the animatronics, looked like the least enthused, though he perked up slightly as Darky and Cadon entered, waving Darky over and patting the spot beside him. Darky moved to join Toy Bonnie, while Cadon went over to join Mangle, Foxy, and Bonnie, who sat leisurely at the base of the stage.
Eventually, Toy Chica appeared, dragging Freddy along behind her. Chica, seeing that everyone was present, coughed gently to gather everyone's attention.
"Alright, now that we're all here…" Chica began, stepping to the front of the stage.
"Wait!" Balloon Boy said suddenly, waving to catch Chica's attention. "Jacky's not here!"
The air was suddenly tense. "He's not coming." Someone said, though when everyone cast about to find the source, no one admitted to it.
"He's a huge killjoy." Toy Bonnie added.
"Like you, Bon Bon!" Toy Chica said quickly. "You big old grinch, you!"
Toy Bonnie huffed, and turned away, but did not respond. Darky rolled her eyes, and swatted his leg with her tail, earning a small chuckle from the offended rabbit.
Balloon Boy frowned, sitting himself down heavily. Chica looked sadly at the little animatronic, but figured the best way to make it up to him would be getting on with it. Chica was about to begin again when Freddy raised a paw.
"Where's Mr. Owly?" he asked.
There was a commotion out in the hallway, a mixture of flustered hooting and metal scraping against the wall. After a moment, a small owl hopped through the door, looking more than a little flustered. He was just a few inches over a foot tall, his coat of feathers a light brown, striped in black. He would have looked quite at home in nearly any forest.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Mr. Owly said as he hopped into the room, flapping his wings with each jump. "I almost forgot about today."
Freddy gave Mr. Owly a small nod, and lowered his paw for the little owl to hop onto. "We were just about to get started."
"Great!" Mr. Owly said as he brought himself up to Freddy's paw. "Let's get this show on the road, then." With a little effort, the animatronic owl climbed up Freddy's arm, sitting on Freddy's shoulder, looking quite satisfied with himself.
Chica waited for a moment, as if expecting another interruption. When nothing happened, she made a sound like clearing her throat, and continued. "Well, since everyone participating is here now…" She gestured to the tree, and the presents gathered beneath it. "Let's get started. Even though this is the first Christmas we're celebrating as a…. Family, we're all a little rusty on this. But I'm sure we all put our hearts into it, and it's the thought that counts, right?" Chica looked out expectantly at the others, and seemed a little disheartened when no one responded. "Right…" Perking up a little, she looked to the tree. "So, um…. I guess we should pass out the presents now."
Balloon Boy suddenly perked up, and he stretched one of his arms into the air. "Ooh, ooh, I wanna pass out presents!"
"Me too!" Phoenix added, jumping up beside her friend.
Vixie, on the other hand, was content to let the other two have their fun. Chica smiled at the two enthusiastic children, and motioned towards the gifts.
"Go ahead." Chica said, and the two did so.
Reading the names from the tags, nearly all of which were sloppily scribbled on, the presents were handed out, with Balloon Boy and Phoenix scurrying back and forth with one or two presents under their arms. Balloon Boy presented a trio of messily-wrapped gifts to Bonnie, Darky, and Mr. Owly.
"I helped wrap those ones!" he declared proudly.
When all the gifts were passed around, each animatronic had one. There were a few moments of excited chatter as the animatronics explored the boxes they were given, shaking them and hefting them in an attempt to determine what might lie inside. Chica eventually stepped forward once more, carefully holding her present beneath her arm. She waited for everyone to quiet down, and when they didn't, she coughed gently.
"Alright, everybody, it's time to open them up." She said, but when Toy Bonnie made to tear into his present, she glared at him. After a moment, he stopped, giving her a sour look. "I think the kids should go first." Chica gestured to the younger animatronics.
The three children glanced at one another, and suddenly huddled together, backs turned to the grown-ups. They whispered, almost conspiratorially, for several moments, with one of them occasionally tossing a glance over their shoulder at the waiting animatronics. They eventually broke their huddle, and Phoenix held her present up for all to see, stepping forward as she did so.
"I'm gonna go first." She told them, and then unwrapped her box. It took her just a few seconds, and the small box itself took no longer. She peered inside curiously, and reached in. She removed a plastic figure, just large enough that she couldn't close her claws around it. It was a griffin, once delicately-painted, but worn through age or play. It was a single, solid piece, and the griffin itself was posed with one of its fore-claws raised, and its wings flared out. Phoenix examined it for several moments, turning it over and over in her claws as she did so. She clicked her beak together excitedly, and hugged the figure close to her chest.
As the animatronics couldn't leave the building, and weren't paid, they couldn't go out to buy things. All the gifts given were found within the building, and done so anonymously.
"I love it!" She declared, and she sat, one claw clutching the figure and the other petting it.
Balloon Boy and Vixie exchanged a quick glance, and Balloon Boy stepped forward next. He lifted his box and unwrapped it, albeit slower than Phoenix. He removed the box's contents, and eyed it. It was a hat. A rather silly hat, much stranger than his beanie. It almost resembled a ballcap, but was molded of thin plastic, and had two cylindrical holsters on either side, as well as a long, soft straw for each holster. Though the hat and the coloration was faded, #1 could be made out on the face of it. Balloon Boy stared at it for several moments.
"What is it?" He finally asked, looking around for help.
For a moment, no one said or did anything. They all simply exchanged glances.
"I think it's a hat." Toy Chica said suddenly.
Toy Bonnie shot her an amused smirk. "Are you sure? It looks like a boot to me, Ducky 2."
Toy chica huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's not a boot, Bon Bon! It's a hat!"
"But what's it do?" Balloon Boy interrupted.
Toy Freddy dropped down from the stage, landing awkwardly thanks to his bulk. After recovering, he gently took the hat from Balloon Boy, and turned it over in his paws, examining it as closely as he could. Shrugging, he handed the hat back.
"I think it's a…. Drinking hat?" Toy Freddy suggested. He pointed at the holsters, then the straws. "You put a drink in there, and sip with the straws."
Balloon Boy cocked his head at the suggestion, but after a moment, smiled brightly. "Oh! Cool!" He set it on his head, over his beanie, where it sat awkwardly and unevenly. But it didn't bother the little animatronic one bit.
All eyes turned to Vixie. The little fox hesitated, flustered by all the attention, but picked up her gift. Hers wasn't as square as the others, and was instead elongated, and nearly half as tall as she was, if stood up sideways. She unwrapped it quickly, and stared at the product within. It was a worn box, like one would find carrying a board-game, rectangular and shallow, but wide. The corners of the lid were especially worn, with two of them being torn. The box itself was labelled "Little Houdini's Magic Kit!", and bore pictures of several pieces supposedly included. Vixie lifted to lid off and put it to the side, her deft little hands digging through the kit with ease. Several of the pieces were missing, especially the smaller ones, but the main kit was there; a set of trick playing cards, a magic top-hat, and a magic wand. The little fox beamed brightly.
Chica smiled. "Alright, now we can all go." She looked at Toy Bonnie, and motioned at him. "You were so upset when we kept you from opening yours," she said playfully, "so why don't you start us off?"
Toy Bonnie grinned. "Thank you, Ducky, don't mind if I do." Without waiting another moment, he tore into his present, opening it quicker even than Phoenix. He frowned as he removed a pair of slippers, quite similar to the ones they offered in the prize corner. Indeed, they were almost exactly the same as the bunny slippers, fashioned to look like the original Bonnie, only this pair had been drawn on with marker or crayon to look like Toy Bonnie.
"Real cute," Toy Bonnie said, attempting to sound sarcastic, though he couldn't hide the amusement in his voice. He looked at the three children, and sighed. "Which of you little brats was this from?" When all three of them burst into laughter, several of the grown-up animatronics joined them, Bonnie included. Toy Bonnie scowled. "Why, I oughta-"
"Bon Bon!" Chica hissed. "It was a gift. Whoever gave that to you," Chica punctuated her statement by casting a glance at the children, "clearly likes you."
Toy Bonnie made a show of huffing and groaning, but didn't rise from his seat.
"Can I go next?" Darky asked, eyeing the messily-wrapped box beside her. When no one objected, she squealed with delight. "It's wrapped up with love!"
"It'd be better if was actually wrapped," Toy Bonnie muttered, "and not crumpled up like-"
Darky gave Toy Bonnie a swat on the nose with her tail. He grinned at her, and kept quiet. Darky opened her present, taking longer than the others thanks to her lack of hands. Eventually, she got the box open, and peered inside. Reaching her snout in, she withdrew a necklace, holding the chain in her mouth. At the end hung a medallion, the size of a fifty-cent piece, with a stylized rose engraved on either side.
"It's pretty!" Darky exclaimed, her tail wagging happily behind her. She frowned suddenly, and shook the chain in her mouth. "A little help, here?"
Toy Bonnie grinned at her, taking the necklace from her mouth and hanging it around her neck. "There you go. Poor little Darky, not having hands…"
Darky huffed, and gave Toy Bonnie another swat on the nose. The rabbit simply shrugged, his grin remaining the same. Shaking her head with a knowing smile, Darky looked around at the others.
"Well, who's next?" She asked.
Toy Chica's hand rose after a second's hesitation. "Can I go?"
With no protest, the shiny chicken gave an excited little hop, and picked up the present that had been sitting beside her. She opened it hurriedly, shaking the box as she did so. Upon opening the box, she reached inside and withdrew a small object, covered in plastic-wrap, just big enough to fit in her palm. She squeezed it softly, and it gave under her grip.
"This thing is wrapped, too?" She asked. "It's like a gift inside a gift!" Carefully, she unwrapped the plastic, stopping at a few points as whatever lay inside crumbled slightly. Eventually, it was completely unwrapped, and though it was a crumbled mess, nearly everyone recognized the cupcake, an attempted replica of the cupcake Toy Chica herself carried around.
"What is it?" Toy Chica asked, scratching her head.
"It's a cupcake." Freddy told her softly.
Toy Chica cocked her head at Freddy, looking at him dubiously. "No, that's not a cupcake, silly!" She presented the toy cupcake she carried. "This is a cupcake! That's a bunch of crumbs, and some… Pink goop."
"It was supposed to look like your cupcake, Ducky 2." Toy Bonnie said pointedly. "But you kinda... Broke it."
Toy Chica looked at the mess of crumbs in one hand, and the toy cupcake in the other. After several moments of observation, she giggled. "Oopsies! It was a nice gift, though."
Toy Bonnie glanced around, and pointed at Freddy. "Why don't you go next, Fuzzbear?"
Freddy frowned at the nickname. "I'd prefer if everyone else went-"
"Oh, go ahead, silly!" Toy Chica squealed, tugging eagerly on his arm, nearly toppling Mr. Owly from his perch.
Freddy sighed, but reached for his gift without complaint. He opened it slowly, pulling the majority of the wrapping away with one swipe. Opening the box up and reaching inside, Freddy withdrew his paw, holding a microphone that was far too small for him. From the bottom of it hung a wire, leading back into the box. As Freddy pulled the microphone away from the box, a small rectangular device came with it, hanging by the wire. On one side was a speaker, and on the other was a belt-clip, a screw-on panel, and a simple on/off switch.
Toy Bonnie burst into laughter. Several other animatronics struggled not to. Even Toy Freddy barely kept his composure. The joke on Freddy was obvious, as he was the lead singer of the musical group. Freddy sighed again.
"Give it a try, Fuzzbear!" Toy Bonnie said between fits of laughter.
Freddy looked around the room, but was disappointed when it seemed that everyone else wanted to hear him try it, too. Giving the greatest sigh yet, he flipped the switch of the speaker to on, and lifted the microphone.
"Hello." He said quietly. Though the sound quality was rough, Freddy's voice was indeed louder. Glaring at Toy Bonnie, he turned the speaker off and set it down. "Are you satisfied now?"
Toy Bonnie smirked at Freddy, and shook his head. "I'll never be satisfied, Fuzzbear. But that'll have to do for now."
"I'd like to go next." Mr. Owly said suddenly, hopping down from Freddy's shoulder, onto the stage, next to where his present lay. Eyeing the box, which was just a little smaller than him, he pecked at it furiously, pulling the wrapping off bit by bit.
Once enough of the wrapping was off, he pecked at the box for a moment, before coming to the realization that he simply couldn't open it. "I may need a hand, here."
Toy Bonnie smirked. "Literally."
Freddy gave a friendly smile, and opened the box, reaching inside for the little owl. He removed a small tophat, one that seemed to fit a toy or stuffed animal more than even a young child or baby. It seemed suspiciously similar to one of the hats that could be found on a Freddy plushie, in the prize corner. Freddy carefully set the hat down on Mr. Owly's head, and smiled.
Mr. Owly rotated his head and flapped his wings. "I quite like this." He said, seemingly satisfied. "Quite nice, indeed."
Balloon Boy grinned brightly. "Mama! You should go next!"
Were she able to, Chica would have blushed for the sudden attention. Seeing no reason not to, however, Chica opened hers up. It was a bib, almost completely identical to the one she wore now. While her current one was old and worn, to the point of being torn in some places, the newer one was a little dirty, stained with dust, but no worse for the wear. Chica smiled softly as she held it out to look at it.
"How sweet." Chica said quietly.
Toy Bonnie scoffed, his arms crossed. "Oh, weak! If I would have known we could get someone something they already had, this would have been so much easier!" He rolled his eyes melodramatically. "I would have just gotten-" He was cut off at Darky swatted the back of his head with her paw. Grumbling, he became quiet once more.
After making sure Toy Bonnie was finished, Darky turned to Cadon and grinned. "You should go next."
Shrugging, Cadon hefted his box lightly in his hand, before opening it. He withdrew a plastic gun, made to look like it were some sort of raygun. It was easily recognizable as one of the prizes available in the prize corner, though it was quite costly compared to some of the other prizes. Cadon grinned, tucking it into a pocket in his vest.
"I guess the sheriff just got some new gear…" Darky said with a cheeky grin.
Cadon deadpanned, looking quietly at Darky. Darky blew a raspberry at Cadon and grinned like mad.
Chica sent a quick glance around the room, and smiled at Bonnie. "Why don't you go next, Bonnie?"
Bonnie looked up suddenly. As of yet, he had been content to remain quiet. "Hmm? Oh, me? Alright."
Taking up his gift, Bonnie opened it. Inside was a cassette tape, with the label on it reading Freddy Fazbear, 1985 birthday party. Bonnie stared down at it for several moments, his face unreadable. He nodded, almost imperceptibly.
"Thank you." He said quietly.
After a moment of silence, Toy Bonnie coughed gently. "Whoa. It's gotten really, uh, feelsy, in here." He looked to Toy Freddy with a small grin. "Hey, Fuzzbear 2, why don't you go?"
Toy Freddy gave a shrug, and opened his gift. It was a bowtie, solid red, with the center having a single light-bulb in it. A small button on the side of the tie, when pressed, made the light flash green. Toy Freddy smiled.
"How festive." He said, pinning his new bowtie on top of the one already on his chest.
"Why don't you go, lassie?" Foxy asked, gesturing at Mangle.
Toy Bonnie gave a quick giggle. "Foxy the Pirate, such a chivalrous move!"
Foxy eyed Toy Bonnie. "Just because I'm a pirate doesn't mean I can't be a gentleman, lad. I ought to keelhaul ya just fer suggesting that I'm not."
Toy Bonnie put both hands up in mock-terror. "Oh, don't do that, captain! Put me in the brig! Make me swab the poop-deck! Just don't keelhaul me!"
Foxy sighed, shaking his head and chuckling. Ignoring Toy Bonnie, he looked expectantly at Mangle. Mangle hesitantly opened hers. Inside was a snowglobe, with what looked to be Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria within. Mangle gave the snowglobe a shake, and smiled.
"I-it's v-very nice." Mangle said softly. After a moment, she sent Foxy an expectant look.
Foxy took the hint, and opened his gift. Inside was a little plastic cutlass. Foxy looked at it, dumbfounded, before grinning, and slashing at the air with it. He laughed, the sound coming out almost like a wheeze.
"Real cute," Foxy said, shaking his head. "Yer all a bunch of silly land-lubbers."
Isaac grunted in disapproval, giving the monitor a little flick. "Dumb thing."
Destiny looked up at him, displeasure clear on her face. "What is it now?"
"The main stage camera is out." Isaac said after a moment, still staring at the monitor.
Destiny shook her head. "So? These cameras go out all the time; they're shoddily made, at best."
Isaac finally turned in his seat to look at her. "All of the animatronics are gone, though."
Destiny suddenly looked at him, with a hint of what might have been fear. "What?" She stood, and walked over. "Let me see."
"See? Main stage is out." Isaac said, shifting to let her look at the monitor. "But every other room is completely empty. No life at all."
Destiny stepped away, shaking her head. "What the hell are they doing in there?" She turned back to him. "Go check it out."
He looked at her dubiously. "What? No way! I've worked here longer than you."
"By two days!" Destiny replied, crossing her arms. "Be a gentleman, and go see what they're doing!"
Isaac stood up, straightening his shirt. "That's crazy. Too crazy for me." He shook his head, matching Destiny's posture. "If they're all in there, that means we don't have to worry about them."
As Isaac spoke, a small white figure appeared in the doorway, smiling innocently up at the two.
"Hello." Vixie said quietly, making both of the night guards start at her sudden appearance.
Isaac gave a nervous laugh, his entire body shaking as he did so. He crouched down to Vixie's level. "Hey there. What're you and, uh… The others, doing on the stage?"
Vixie seemed excited at the mention of the stage. "Come on, I can show you. It's fun!" She looked at Isaac expectantly.
Isaac sighed, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "I dunno if I can do that, squirt. I'm not really supposed to leave this office."
Vixie frowned, and it tugged at Isaac's heartstrings. "But if you don't come, you'll miss the surprise!"
"What surprise?" Isaac asked quietly, hoping to keep the adorable little fox from frowning again.
"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you now!" She whined. "You have to come see it!"
Isaac hesitated. Sticking out an arm and extending his little finger. "If you promise it'll be safe, I'll come with you. Pinkie-promise."
Vixie smiled brightly, hooking her little finger around Isaac's. "Pinkie promise." Leaning to the side, she looked up at Destiny. "She's gotta come too." Without waiting for an answer, the little fox took off down the hall.
"I'm not going down there." Destiny said quickly, her gaze boring a hole into the back of Isaac's head.
"You can't break a pinkie-promise." Isaac said plainly. He stood and followed after Vixie, not looking back to Destiny.
Destiny crossed her arms. She had no intention of following blindly, while she could remain nice and safe in the office. Then she swore she heard pounding from one of the vents, and took off running after Isaac.
When she caught up to him, he was already at the main stage. So were all the animatronics, she realized.
"You bastard! You led me right into a trap!" Destiny screamed, .
"Language!" Chica hissed, quickly covering Balloon Boy's ears.
Destiny gawked at the animatronics for several moments. When none of them attempted to attack, she shook her head. "So… You're not going to try and stuff us into suits?"
"We're going to torture you first!" Toy Bonnie quickly shouted, only to be silenced by a blow to his stomach from Darky.
"Quiet, you!" Darky said, her tone playful.
"We got you presents, too!" Phoenix said excitedly.
Both Destiny and Isaac were at a loss. Neither knew what to do when Balloon Boy and Vixie came forward, carrying packages wrapped up like Christmas gifts.
"You're serious?" Destiny asked, staring blankly at the gift.
"Who cares?" Isaac interrupted, opening his. "It's free!"
It was a flashlight. A heavy-duty flashlight, the length of Isaac's forearm and nearly as big around. He hefted it in his hand with a grin. Encouraged by seeing Isaac's box wasn't some devious trap, Destiny opened hers, and found the same flashlight.
"If you hit me with that, I'll break it off in your ass." Toy Bonnie said, his arms crossed. He narrowly dodged another blow from Darky, sticking his tongue out at her as he did so.
"Think of it as our way of apologizing for trying to kill you." Toy Freddy said, sounding surprisingly earnest.
"But after the holidays are over, things are going to go back to normal." Freddy added pointedly.
"Think of it as a way to even the playing field." Chica said. "We're not monsters, believe it or not. We may hurt people, but we genuinely feel bad about it."
"Then why do it?" Destiny asked hotly, her arms crossed.
Chica looked away, clearly unwilling to answer the question.
Toy Chica perked up, suddenly beside Isaac and Destiny. "Oh, boy, oh, boy! The game'll be so much more fun when we play it next time!"
Isaac grinned, rolling his flashlight in his hand. "You bet it is!" Suddenly looking strangely thoughtful, Isaac paused. "You guys will have to excuse me. I need to find a payphone."
Destiny snatched at his wrist. "Where are you going?" She hissed.
"I'm gonna call my folks. Haven't talked to them in a long time." Isaac replied evenly.
"And leave me alone? With them?" Destiny asked.
"Yeah, that's the plan." He gave her a smirk, and tugged his hand away. "Go back to the office. They look like they're occupied. They shouldn't bother you." As he turned to walk away, he stopped, and added. "Hey, Destiny. Merry Christmas."
Destiny's features noticeably softened for a moment. "Merry Christmas." She replied quietly. And then Isaac was gone. She quietly excused herself from the stage, and made her way back to the office, sending a glance over her shoulder to make sure nothing was following her.
Balloon Boy walked up to Chica, and tugged on her wrist. "Mama, may I be excused? I have something, um… Important to do."
Chica smiled knowingly, and gave the little animatronic a pat on the back. "Go on, sweetie. Merry Christmas."
Balloon Boy smiled brightly and ran off, his new hat bobbing precariously as he went. "Thanks mama! Merry Christmas!"
At a length, all the animatronics began to file out of the room, leaving in ones or twos, talking amicably as they went. Toy Bonnie grumbled about "everything being from the Lost and Found" as he exited. After a certain point, only Chica, Bonnie, and Toy Freddy were left. Toy Freddy put a hand on Chica's shoulder and gave a little squeeze. Chica gave Toy Freddy a small nod.
"Could I have a moment alone with Bonnie?" She asked quietly. Toy Freddy gave an understanding nod, and left.
Chica approached Bonnie slowly. The aged rabbit was staring at the cassette he had been given. He occasionally turned it over to look at the other side, but his gaze never wavered. Chica looked at him for a few moments, before coughing gently to get his attention. Bonnie slowly looked up.
"Do you like it?"
Bonnie stared at her for a long moment. "Is it what I think it is?" He asked quietly.
Chica smiled softly, and nodded. "Yes."
Were he able to, Bonnie would have cried. He embraced Chica tightly. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Chica returned the hug without hesitation. "I broke the rules a little, but I knew you'd like it." Eventually, they broke from the embrace. "Why don't we go find something so we can listen to that?"
Balloon Boy made his way to the prize corner, humming happily to himself as he did so. As he entered, he could hear the signature tune of Jack's music box. He smiled. He liked Jack's music box, nearly as much as Jack. He stopped humming after a moment, and approached Jack's box, with one last present tucked under his arm. He knocked gently on the box, and took a step back.
He had to wait longer than he would have liked, but eventually, the box opened, and Jack rose, glaring balefully down at Balloon Boy. The puppet's expression softened somewhat upon seeing Balloon Boy, but he still glared.
"What is it?" Jack asked irritably.
"I brought you a gift!" Balloon Boy exclaimed, extending the messily-wrapped box up to the tall puppet.
"I don't need it." Jack said plainly, seating himself within his box, so only the uppermost portion of his torso was visible.
Balloon Boy looked perplexed by the response. "Of course you don't need it, silly! But you should have it anyway!"
Jack sighed. "Why?"
Balloon stared up at Jack, somewhat dumbfounded. "Because… Because it's Christmas."
Jack realized he was having an effect on the little animatronic. "Why are you celebrating Christmas?" He asked pointedly.
"Because…" Balloon Boy paused, scratching at his chin in thought. "Because it's festive! And, and… A time for…. A time for family!"
"We don't have family. Not like humans."
Balloon Boy frowned suddenly, looking hurt. "But… We're family…"
Jack gazed down at Balloon Boy, before shaking his head and sighing. He extended a hand. "Well, what is it, then?"
Balloon Boy grinned again, and gave the present to Jack. "Open it, open it!"
Jack made a show of appearing reluctant, but opened it nonetheless. It was a small device, made of black plastic, with a speaker on one side and a set of four buttons on the other. Jack recognized it as something from the prize corner, albeit from the higher shelves. He looked at Balloon Boy. It was a cheap voice recorder.
"Really?" He asked, sighing heavily. "If I wanted one, I could have gotten one myself."
"It costs a whole mess of tickets!" Balloon Boy said defensively. "I spent two weeks getting all those tickets."
"You could have just taken it during the night."
"But that would be stealing!"
Jack groaned, but was quite amused at the little animatronic's naivete. "What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Play it, silly!"
Jack looked doubtfully at Balloon Boy, but pressed the play button anyway. He listened carefully, and was shocked when he heard humming, surprisingly similar to the tune of his music box. Just a moment later, a beautiful voice joined the humming, wordlessly singing along. It tugged at Jack's heartstrings, and for a moment, his facade nearly crumbled. He sniffed, and turned the recording off.
"It's… It's alright." He said, attempting to be as nonchalant as possible. "Was that you?"
"And mama, singing!" Balloon Boy added, nodding enthusiastically.
Jack gave a small, almost imperceptible smile. "Thanks, BB."
Mangle and Vixie had settled down in the Kids' Cove, when Foxy strode in, carrying two presents under his arm. He grinned at the two, and motioned to them.
"Gather 'round, lassies," He said softly. "For I bring gifts."
Vixie squealed with delight, and rushed to Foxy's side. Mangle rose slowly, and followed after. Foxy took the smaller package from under his arm, and presented it to Vixie. The little fox took it, and turned it over and over in her hands.
It looked like a book, wrapped in simple brown paper, lacking anything other than Vixie's name, scrawled across the face. Vixie unwrapped it carefully, and gave a satisfied smile when her suspicions were confirmed. It was a book, a hard-cover book, the covers being a dull brown, and lacking any markings, save for a stray pen mark or two. The pages were blank, and though a few of them were torn out, the book was in strangely good shape.
"It's fer whatever you want, lassy." Foxy told her, his hand gently petting her head. "Writin' poems, or songs, or stories, or even scribblin', if ya want."
Vixie smiled brightly, and hugged Foxy's leg tightly, before scampering off to put the book to use. Mangle looked to Foxy, unsure what he could have gotten her. He extended the gift, and she opened it. She was shocked when she saw what was inside.
It was a plushy, similar to the ones they offered in the prize corner. However, it was of Mangle. Before she Mangle. A pink fox, similar to Foxy's own design but lacking any of the pirate-themes. It was surprisingly pretty.
"W-w-where did you g-g-get this…?" Mangle asked quietly.
Foxy smiled at her. "Found it in one of the storage rooms, buried deeper than you'd believe." He answered, sliding closer to her. "Took a lot of lookin', but ye simply can't hide treasure from Foxy. I'd guess they only made a few, and never gave them out."
Mangle was at a loss for words. She simply coiled around him, and let her chin rest on his shoulder. Foxy reached his hand up and delicately stroked the back of her head.
Toy Bonnie was strolling past the stage when he noticed something beneath the tree. It was a present, wrapped in black and red, unlike all the others. Dropping to his knees, he reached for it, and pulled it out from beneath the tree. It had no name on it, and so, he opened. it.
"Dumb kids missed one…" He muttered as he tore away the wrapping. Opening the box, he stared inside, utterly confused.
Inside, was a plushy Freddy. But it was gold. Toy Bonnie suddenly felt very uncomfortable, and he dropped the plushy and stood. Hearing mocking laughter behind him, he ran from the room and sought out the comfort of Darky's embrace.
Holy crap! Did I seriously just write all of that? I'm sorry. So, I wrote this for a group of friends with whom I roleplay, and I used some of their OCs, in case no one noticed. I apologize to everyone else who read this, because it probably didn't make any sense. And, I know this is late, but… Well, better late than never, right? Right…? Anyhow, merry belated Christmas, and happy New Year! I… I'm just gonna go now…