This is my very first FNAF story that I've wanted to do for a while. The story will often contain my theories and opinions about the FNAF lore. Also I want to strongly stress to readers that I don't want to receive any angry reviews or flames just because my theories are different from yours. While I would love to hear your theories and opinions, what I don't need is mean criticism. If the story isn't to your liking, kindly find some other story to read. I appreciate your understanding and respect, so without further ado, read the first chapter and tell me what you think! I promise the plot will prove to be an interesting one! Thank you!
June 26, Friday
School was out and summer had just begun. Around this time of year, a lot of kids were already going to fun places like the beach, amusement parks, or to family campgrounds for vacations. But the one popular place that many neighborhood kids liked to hang out at was none other than Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. This restaurant was well-known for its famously delicious pizza and arcades. But most of all, their main attraction was restaurant mascot, Freddy Fazbear; a jolly big-hearted bear animatronic who sang and entertained children day in and day out. Freddy Fazbear was such a beloved character that many kids traveled from miles away just to meet the lovable animatronic.
Along with his fellow band-mates, Bonnie the Bunny and Chica the Chicken, the three animatronics performed every day to make children laugh. Then there was the adventurous swash-buckling animatronic, Foxy the Pirate Fox who presided over at Pirate Cove. Sadly, due to unfortunate circumstances, Foxy no longer performed for children and has since then been labeled "Out of Order." Freddy Fazbear's Pizza had become so successful, that it eventually became the perfect place to celebrate birthdays and holidays. However behind this restaurant's family-friendly image, the pizzeria had a dark side to it. And this is where our story begins…
Today was a regular day like any other. Families arrived with their children where they could enjoy the food, play games, and watch the Fazbear show. Twelve year old Bernard Walcott entered the restaurant with his three friends in tow. A well-behaved and mature young boy with medium-brown hair and soft blue eyes, he took a seat at the table nearest the Show Stage and ordered himself some pizza for lunch. Bernard was known for being serious and bossy, but was also polite and kind. While waving to some familiar kids he knew from school, Bernard reached out a hand to stop a little kid from zooming by him.
"Whoa there! No running. It's one of the rules here," he pointed out.
"Stop bossing me around, Bernard! I've got to get to the arcades if I want to win more prizes!" The little kid impatiently hurried off at once.
That was when Bernard looked up and saw that the Fazbear show was about to start. All the kids eagerly gathered around the Show Stage in anticipation as the lights dimmed, the curtains drew apart and a spotlight shined down on the star of the show, Freddy Fazbear himself; an animatronic with the appearance of a brown bear, wearing a fancy black top-hat and a matching black bowtie. Freddy Fazbear seem to come to life as he raised his big hand in greeting, while beaming at all his little fans that cheered and clapped at the sight of him. The animatronic bear stood tall and proud on the stage, and spoke in a jolly booming voice to his audience.
"Hey there kids! Welcome to another exciting show! And I, Freddy Fazbear, will be your host! Looks like this is promising to be a swell party! But no party is complete without my friends here! Come on out guys!" Freddy announced while letting out an infectious belly laugh that echoed throughout the restaurant.
A bright light lit up the stage, and Bonnie the Bunny and Chica the Chicken made their respective appearance. Bonnie was a lavender purple-colored animatronic with a ruby-red bowtie attached to its neck. He was never seen without his trademark red guitar that he played for the band. Then there was Chica, the only girl in the Fazbear Band. A bright yellow avian animatronic who worn a big bib with the words "Let's Eat" written very large on it. Chica was always seen holding a plate with her favorite little treat, Pom-Pom the Cupcake. The kids grew increasingly excited as all three animatronics made their grand entrance.
"Hi there all you rocker-fans! I'm ready to bring this party to life with an awesome tune!" Bonnie said cheerfully. He was seen as the most friendly and outgoing of the animatronics. Both boys and girls absolutely adored Bonnie's happy-go-lucky attitude.
"Hello there. I'm Chica. Are you kids enjoying those delicious pizzas? Be sure to finish every bite so that I can treat you all to some tasty snacks later. But only if you behave yourselves!" Chica said while winking cutely. Chica was popular with all the girls, and her nurturing personality had won her many fans.
"Tasty snacks? I'd love some! So when do we eat?" Bonnie asked, spinning his head around so that he could gaze over at Chica on the stage.
"Bonnie! You can't think of food now! We've got a show to perform!" Chica playfully scolds Bonnie while earning some chuckles from the kids.
"Well without further ado, let's get this show started! Give me a tune, Bonnie!" Freddy's powerful voice boomed out. He wasn't the mascot for no reason. The animatronic bear possessed an amazing charismatic charm that captured the hearts of children everywhere. Even grown-ups had come to respect Freddy Fazbear.
The kids watched in awe as Bonnie's hands began to move in a surprisingly skillful manner for an animatronic as he began to play his guitar which immediately began to produce melodious tunes. And when the music was just right, Freddy Fazbear raised the mike to his mouth and began to sing. Bernard smiled to himself; he loved to stop whatever he was doing just to listen to Freddy sing. And boy was the animatronic bear a great singer! Freddy Fazbear was Bernard's personal favorite character here. The bear was like a strong leader who watched over all those who came into the restaurant.
After the show was over, it was around this time that the animatronics were put into free-roaming mode, which enabled them the freedom to play and interact with the children. As always, girls loved to gather around Chica who held a large plate filled with different flavored cupcakes. Among the group was spunky Ava Ramsey, a lovely blond tomboy who was Chica's biggest fan. Ava loved it here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. And because of her sweet and gentle personality, many boys had a crush on her. Ava happily walked away with her own plate of cupcakes, and stopped to offer one to Bernard.
"Here you go, Bernard! Picked this one out especially for you." Ava happily offered the chocolate-cupcake to the older boy.
Standing not too far away in the crowd, Peter Donahue looked up from his favorite comic book and gazed starry-eyed over at Ava Ramsey. Book-smart and resourceful, Peter was known as the energetic geek of the gang. He always had his nose stuck in a book and loved to learn new things. The animatronics here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza fascinated him and he wanted to know how they worked. But also, Peter liked coming to the restaurant so that he could be close to his childhood crush, Ava.
Peter watched Ava from a distance and sighed sadly to himself. He had harbored feelings for Ava Ramsey ever since kindergarten. But he's never had the courage to approach her with his feelings. What was even more discouraging was seeing other cuter boys lavishing their attention on Ava and giving her gifts. There was a lot of competition for her affections and Peter wondered how he could compete with all the other rivals. So instead he stood there feeling down.
Then the animatronic Bonnie approached Peter and seemed to sense the little boy's melancholy. "Hello there, lil' buddy! Why the long face? Don't you want to play? Here, try your hand at playing my guitar!" Like a gentle giant, Bonnie bent down to share its red guitar. With a little smile, Peter reached out and stringed the musical instrument with his finger. "Way to go! Rock on, lil' buddy!" Bonnie cheered.
Peter watched as Bonnie walked off to go greet some new kids who have come into the pizzeria. Peter really liked Bonnie but he envied the animatronic as well. He wished he could be like Bonnie who was cool, confident and hip. Maybe that way he could get Ava to finally notice him. At that exact moment, Peter saw his best friend, Todd Foxworth in the crowd. As usual, Todd loved wearing his eye-patch and he carried the wooden pirate sword his father had carved for him. Todd had his arms crossed over his chest with a grumpy expression while being escorted out of the Pirate Cove by a security guard.
"I'm sorry little boy. I can't have you messing around with the Foxy animatronic. He's out of order," the security guard was telling the little red-headed boy.
"Hmmph. It's not fair. I was only going back there to visit Foxy. He's the coolest character here. I really want to see his show!" Todd whined.
Now Peter approached his friend while shaking his head and tsk-tsking. "You got caught again? That's twice in a row. What were you doing back there anyway?" Peter asked.
"I wanted to see if Foxy was still operational. And get this, Foxy still works!" Todd explained. "I've even managed to turn him on and he talks like a pirate!" Then Todd grins mischievously. "That security guard is distracted. Let's sneak back there and I can show you."
"Really? Cool!" Peter agreed excitedly.
But just as the two boys started to head for Pirate Cove, Bernard stepped in their way with hands on his hips. "Where do you two think you're going? I believe the security guard told you to stay out of Pirate Cove?" Bernard lectures them sternly. "It's bad enough that you get into trouble all the time, Todd, but you shouldn't drag poor Peter into it."
"Alright already! Quit telling us what to do, Bernard," Todd said, flashing the bossy boy an irritable frown. "We'll go to Pirate Cove later. Come on Peter; let's go hit the arcade games!"
Peter shrugged his shoulders apologetically to Bernard before turning to follow his best friend off to the arcades. Once the two boys left, Bernard returned to the Dining Area. Sitting down at the table, he began eating the rest of his pizza. While watching Freddy Fazbear interact with little children, Bernard saw something odd at the next table over. A lonely-looking boy was sitting around, wearing a birthday hat, his face resting sadly in the palm of his hands. The little boy appeared to be alone. Feeling concerned, Bernard got up from the table and went to over to the boy. The little boy didn't look up when Bernard approached him. But one look at him, and Bernard knew the poor boy was sad.
"Hi. Are you here alone?" Bernard asked with a friendly smile. The little boy didn't answer. "Where are your parents? Aren't they here with you?" Again the golden-blond boy didn't respond. Looking closely, Bernard noticed a birthday card nearby that had a name written on it in bold letters. "Jake Goldman."
"So your name is Jake, huh? My name is Bernard. Is it your birthday today?" This time the boy named Jake nodded his head. "Well happy birthday! How old are you turning today?" Without a word, Jake held up six fingers. "Wow. So where are your parents and friends? Are you having a party here?"
But Bernard noticed that Jake was avoiding his eye. Instead he looked embarrassed and ashamed about something. And that was when Bernard realized it. "You mean there's no one here to celebrate your birthday? You're here by yourself? I don't believe it."
The poor boy looked close to tears, and that was when Bernard knew he had to do something about this. With that, he reached down and gently took Jake's hand. "Come with me, Jake. I'll go round up my friends. We'll help you celebrate your birthday." With that, Jake willingly went with Bernard. For some reason, the older boy's take charge attitude was comforting to Jake.
In the restaurant, the Prize Corner was the place where children came to trade in their tickets for toys, candy and other big prizes. It was also where "The Puppet" resided. The Puppet lived inside its big music box, where it liked to pop out and surprise kids with little gift boxes. The Puppet was something of a mystery. No one knew for sure where it came from or how it came to be a part of the pizzeria. The kids loved the puppet anyway and always lined up at its box just to visit it. They also got to listen to the popular tune of "My Grandfather's Clock."
Ava winded up the music box and waited patiently until the puppet popped out with a gift in hand and a wide smile. Accepting the little gift, Ava then reached out and lifted the Puppet out of its box by its strings. "Hey guys, want to see something really funny?" Ava said to her friends. There she began to move the strings and made the Puppet start dancing.
The other kids started laughing and it wasn't long before they too wanted to play with the Puppet next. Until a security guard came along and took the Puppet away. "Sorry, little girl. But I'm afraid the puppet has to stay inside the music box." There he puts the Puppet back into its box.
There were a lot of disappointed groans about this. "Ahhh… The Puppet is always stuck inside that music box. I thought it could use a little exercise," Ava said sympathetically. Little did she know, the Puppet's keen eyes were closely watching Ava.
Kids lined up at the music box and patiently waited to receive their gift from the Puppet. Until one kid cut in front of another and took the gift from the Puppet first. Soon the two kids were angrily fighting over the gift box. "That was my gift! You butted in line!" "No, I was here first! This gift is mine!" "The Puppet was handing it to me! Now give it!"
That was when Bernard arrived and came in between the two fighting children and pulled them apart. "Knock it off you two! You give that gift to him right now!" Bernard commanded. The kid grudgingly handed over the gift to his companion. "Here, you can have my gift. Next time, please don't cut in line like that."
Now Bernard watched as both kids walked off in satisfaction. "I'll bet you get that all the time," Bernard said conversationally to the Puppet in the music box. "It's not easy looking after the little ones, but someone's gotta do it, right?" The Puppet's eyes secretly watched Bernard's every move.
Every now and then, there were bullies at the restaurant. A bunch of mean guys thought it was funny to forcefully open the music box and steal the gift the Puppet held. With a nasty laugh, one of them grabbed the Puppet by the neck and pretended to choke it. Todd saw them do this and angrily went over to defend the Puppet from them.
"Hey! Leave the Puppet alone! And give back the gift you took! That's stealing!" Todd demanded.
But the mean bullies only laughed jeeringly at Todd. "We're only having a little fun with the dummy. And what's with the pirate get-up? Don't you know that pirates are so lame? Maybe that's why they shut down the pirate animatronic name Wolfy or whatever."
There Todd took his wooden pirate sword and angrily used it to whack the bully's hand, forcing him to release the Puppet. Now he pointed his sword at the whole lot of them. "His name is Foxy the Pirate Fox! He's a tough-as-nails pirate who doesn't let anyone push him around! Hand over the gift!"
Todd managed to successfully chase the bullies away while they shot him resentful glares and tossed the gift box aside. Picking up the little gift box, Todd placed it back into the Puppet's hand. "There we are. No thanks necessary, lil' Puppet. Be sure to give that gift to someone who is sad, ok?" The Puppet stared smilingly back into Todd's green eyes.
Meanwhile in the boy's bathroom, Peter stood in front of the mirror and was trying to fix his appearance. He straightened his red bow-tie; fixed his rim-wired glasses, tried running a comb through his messy locks of hair, and held up a flower in his left hand. Today was the big day. He was going to march right up to Ava and tell her exactly how he felt. It was time for some courage. But he still wanted to stand out from all the other boys. He decided to get Ava a gift that would surely impress her.
Peter hurried off to the Prize Corner to see if he could get something that Ava would surely like. Not the small toys, they wouldn't be enough. And he didn't have enough tickets for the bigger prizes on the shelves. He checked everywhere, but couldn't find anything good enough. Or maybe he wasn't good enough. Just when Peter started to become discouraged again, that was when he heard the sudden tune of "Pop goes the Weasel music."
Turning around to look, Peter saw the Puppet had come out of its music box and seemed to be holding out a gift box for him. How strange…was this normal behavior for a puppet? Peter had always been fascinated by the Puppet and didn't believe it to be an animatronic like the others. Now he stepped up to the music box and adjusted his glasses while studying the Puppet like it was some kind of interesting specimen. There the Puppet held out the gift to him. Out of curiosity, Peter accepted this unexpected gift and opened it up to see what was inside. To his surprise, it was a Chica doll.
Of course! This was the perfect gift! Chica was Ava's favorite character; she would love something like this. Peter looked up at the Puppet in amazement. "Wow! This is exactly what I need! Smart thinking, Puppet! Thanks a lot!" Peter said gratefully.
Later, Jake was wandering around the restaurant, looking for Bernard whom he lost in the crowd earlier. As usual, nobody paid much attention to the shy and quiet little boy. While walking around, he ended up at the Prize Corner. A quick look around told him that Bernard wasn't here, but he could hear the tuneful music box playing in the background. Without warning, the music box opened and out popped the Puppet with a gift in hand and a ready smile. Instead on being amused, Jake was afraid and backed away at once. The Puppet noticed the little boy was wearing a birthday hat, and then it reached down inside the music box and pulled out a beautifully wrapped birthday present. Now the Puppet held out the birthday gift and tried to coax the little shy boy into coming closer.
Jake eyed the big gift and admittedly felt tempted. With careful steps, he began to approach the Puppet. Once he got close enough, he quickly reached out and snatched the birthday present and jumped back at once. He frowned defiantly at the Puppet as if daring it to try to scare him. But the Puppet only looked proud of having accomplished its task. He looked down at his birthday gift and no longer felt uneasy. Now Jake and the Puppet stared at one another and seemed to come to a silent understanding.
Just then, Bernard came along and finally found Jake. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you. We're all ready to celebrate your birthday now. Come with me." Jake started to follow Bernard. When he turned to look back, the Puppet was waving good-bye to him.
Now all five kids had gotten together. Bernard introduced Jake Goldman to the others. Ava smiled kindly to the little boy; Peter studied him curiously, while Todd merely looked bored. There they began to make their way back to the Dining Area with Bernard in the lead. "So what flavor birthday cake do you want?" Bernard was saying to Jake. "We'll order a cake and then we can all sing happy birthday. How does that sound?"
It happened without warning. Stepping out from the shadows itself, a golden-colored animatronic suddenly appeared to the children. It came out of nowhere that the five children stopped and stared up at it in surprise. This was an odd-looking animatronic that beared a resemblance to Bonnie, only it couldn't be. What was this strange animatronic and where did it come from? The mysterious figure seemed to grin down at them all and stood blocking their way.
"Hello there, kids." It spoke in an eerily cartoony voice. "What are you doing here by yourselves? Wouldn't you all rather go to really fun party instead?"
"No thank you. We're in a bit of a hurry," Bernard said dismissively. Something wasn't right about this golden-animatronic. Immediately Bernard sensed red flags at once.
"Say now, just who exactly are you suppose to be?" Peter asked. "I've never seen you around the restaurant before. Are you apart of the Fazbear Gang?"
"Let's just say I'm an old friend of Freddy's." Then the creepy animatronic's eyes lit up. "As a matter of fact, I'm on my way to a grand party. Only the biggest fans of the Fazbear Gang are invited. Why not come along and meet your favorite characters there? They'll even give you their autographs."
"Oh wow! You mean I can get Chica's autograph? The other girls would be so jealous if they saw I had a signed autograph! I really would like one!" Ava said excitedly.
"What about Foxy?" Todd asked eagerly. "Will Foxy be there too? I've wanted to play pirates with him since forever! I want to meet him!"
"You can meet all the characters you want," the golden-animatronic told them. "All you have to do… is "follow me." With that, the big golden-animatronic turned and started walking down the hallway, leading them away from the Dining Area that was filled with people.
Peter, Ava and Todd went to follow the golden-animatronic through the restaurant. Only Bernard and Jake weren't so sure. Something wasn't right here. Bernard was especially suspicious. There was something weird about that golden-animatronic. He's never seen that one around here before. There was no way he was going to let his friends go anywhere with that thing. Before he knew it, Bernard hurried after his friends and desperately tried to talk them out of it.
"Wait up, Todd! Don't go anywhere with this guy. We really should be heading back to the Dining Area," Bernard said, placing his hand on Todd's shoulder in order to get his attention.
"Would you stop ordering me around?" Todd said impatiently. "This is a rare opportunity. I might never get another chance to play with Foxy again. So will you quit worrying?"
Now Bernard turned to Ava and tried to convince her. "Look Ava, I'm sure there are other ways you can get Chica's autograph. You don't have to do this."
"It'll be okay," Ava told Bernard reassuringly. "I'm just going to go get Chica's autograph real quick and then I'll head back to the Dining Area. I promise I won't be long."
Bernard turned helplessly to Peter. "Come on. This isn't smart. We don't know anything about this animatronic. We don't even know where it's going. We need to go back."
"Don't worry. I just want to learn how the animatronics work," Peter said distractedly. Then he gazed over at Ava with puppy-eyes. "I'll help Ava get Chica's autograph and then I can escort her back to the Dining Area. We won't be long, Bernard."
Bernard couldn't stop them and watched worriedly as his friends continued to follow the creepy gold-colored animatronic deeper into the restaurant. He suddenly had a foreboding feeling. Something was going to go wrong. He couldn't allow his friends to go anywhere with that strange animatronic. Now Bernard turned back to Jake who still stood where he was. After doing some quick thinking, Bernard finally made his decision.
"Stay here, Jake. I'll be right back. I'm going to go make sure that nothing bad happens. When we come back, we're going to go celebrate your birthday, ok? Wait here for me."
Jake watched as Bernard went with his friends and also followed the golden-animatronic. The little boy waited and waited. The minutes ticked by, then it was half an hour. The other four kids were taking way too long. Finally Jake got impatient and started to head down the same hallway the others had gone down. He wanted to find the others and see why they haven't come back. Hiding not too far away was the Puppet who watched the golden-haired boy disappear into the shadows. He's back… He's at it again… And this time… the Puppet knew it was too late to help.
On that very fateful day… the five children were never seen again.
I'm proud on how I did this chapter. I wanted to give my readers a chance to get to know the five children and learn about their personalities. I guess I don't have to tell you all who led the children away to their death. Also I made it pretty obvious on whose child spirit will inhabit which animatronic in later chapters. I won't reveal it right away, but readers can put two and two together. When you stop and think about it, this chapter was pretty sad. Those poor five children! I promise I'll get the next chapter up.
