Chapter 1
She growled as her soggy fur stuck to the metal of her endoskeleton. The sudden rain had made it worse, threatening the others not to believe her when she said 'there's new guys in town'.
She was glad the poster she had rolled up in her jaws was covered in a preserving plastic, rather than just the paper.
Although, poster paper is pretty strong, but not strong enough to survive a nearly ten minute run through the rain, in the mouth of an animatronic cheetah who was already muddy from last night's rain.
Her body finally relaxed when she sighted the building. It was a barren building from the back, grey stone walls, but at the bottom of a wall laid a vent cover.
She slowed down to a trot as she came up. She reached up a singular paw to pull the vent cover off it's already undone screws, and it came off with ease.
She knelt down as she slid into the vent. The fur now stuck to everything, and getting in all the places it didn't need to be.
She froze up as a piece of fabric slid right between two gears in the joint of her back leg. She hissed a little in pain, her darker brown ears sliding back.
Her suit let out some clicks, freezing up… and automatically letting out a distress signal. Malfunction, it claims. Just as her soul slid from the endoskeleton, twisting back to pull out the fabric;
Hey, Amanda? Everything alright? She could hear his voice in glitching clicks.
The dark red soul then seemed to twist back and melt into the endoskeleton once again.
Yeah. Fred'. I was outside and got wet; fur's stuck in some gears. I'm gonna get out of the suit for a second and pull it out. Also, I have some bad-good news for everyone. Can't tell which.
Alright. What is it?
Well… it's better everybody hears it all at once. Get everybody gathered in the main room, I'll be there in a bit.
Alright. What vent are you gonna come from?
Starbound.
Alright. Nobody's in that area except you, I believe.
Thanks.
Welcome.
She sensed the end of the conversation, and her soul slid from the endoskeleton. She then twisted back, partially laying down. She looked through the suit itself to the endoskeleton.
Just as she thought. She carefully reached into the suit, carefully pulling the fur out from between the gears.
If she was in control of the suit, she'd be feeling pain, but out of control, she just felt a calming numb.
She glanced around the whole suit, checking for more problems. She could feel the vents beneath and around her banging softly, others must be traveling through them to get to the main stage.
She then repositioned herself, and let her soul seep back into control. The brown cheetah seemed to blink to life, sighing as more clicks unlocked the suit.
Once the last tense spring was unlocked, she took a step forwards. She then let her front end lower into a much-needed stretch. All the unlocked locks seemed to relax as the suit stretched out.
She then began forwards again, her robotic jaws carefully holding the roll of plastic-like paper.
She crawled out the vent, her paws hitting the black tile below her. She seemed to slide as she crawled, her body lifting gracefully as she stood up on all fours. She sighed, glancing around her own performance area.
The walls in the room had been designed to resemble the beauty of galaxies, nebulas, and space in general, hence the name 'Starbound'.
The room was dark, with the only light being a spherical fixture hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room.
The fixture had tiny circles pokes into it, and when the white light cast through those holes, they casted a beautiful light, resembling a night sky and all it's stars.
She sighed as her mind automatically relaxed to the sight of the walls.
Only the crinkle in her jaws reminded her of what she needed to do.
She then loped over to the curtain, separating the Starbound from the main room.
She was unable to let out her signature chirp, due to the poster, so she stomped her paw down once as she nosed her way through the crease in the curtain.
A group of around twenty animatronics were settled in the main room, either on the stage or the tables in front of the stage. She dipped her head in greeting, and loped towards the stage.
The three main toy animatronics had situated themselves along the stage, leaving a place for the cheetah.
The cheetah leaped up onto the stage, then turning around. She placed the roll onto the stage, lifting her head then.
She glanced around the room, nervously. All eyes on her…
All twenty or so eyes on her…
She swallowed once, then took a breath before she spoke.
"I've got some news." she announced, her ears backwards a bit in nervousness.
"We heard." the tallest of them all started, his pure black eyes staring at her. "What is it?"
Just looking at him and all of his calmness made her tense up more.
She took a couple more breaths, forcing herself to glance at the others. "Uhm-"
"It's okay. You can tell us." she felt a plastic hand on her 'shoulder blades'. She turned her gaze to face a feminine looking toy chicken, Toy Chica.
The cheetah blinked a bit, sighing. She muttered almost silently. "Alright…"
Everybody now was looking at her expectantly. The cheetah then reached forwards, picking up the roll. She slipped her claws into the seam, pulling it open.
She then stretched out, holding the poster down on the edge of the stage.
One by one, the other animatronics gasped as the spied the poster, or at least a little surprised.
'Baby's Place' it was called… and below it in a tiny text… 'Sister Location to Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria.'
"There's two things I've figured from this. If this new sister location goes big, then they might put us out of business…," she smiled very slightly. "Maybe some of us will be free when they get rid of the suits." She kept a calm face, the smile barely noticeable.
The withereds; Withered Freddy, the one she had spoken to before, Withered Bonnie, Withered Chica, and even Withered Foxy had enough reason to show, glanced to each other in hope.
When Withered Freddy noticed her watch, he gave a soft smile… which lead her to smile too.
In contrast to the withereds, everybody else just looked plain nervous, or even scared.
Amanda then looked over the poster again, looking at the picture now.
Four animatronics were shown, one was an awkward looking ballerina, whom was in the back left corner. Another, to the right, was a fox, who look eerily a lot like an unbroken Mangle. She then glanced to the left of the center character. It was a light purple bear, with darker purple highlights. On the bear's right hand, there was a.. Toy Bonnie puppet…?
Weird.
She then glanced to the center… she could feel the sense of paranoia as she glanced at the being's face.
It had openings in it, as now she has noticed that they all did, but this one had a microphone… and gleaming light olive colored eyes.
This animatronic's metal was either white or a light grey, frankly, these new guys looked like toys, but that wasn't the nerving thing.
The nerving thing was that their faces looked like they could move. Not as in the normal jaw and eye movement, but actually move. It looked like it was programmed and designed for the face to open up, which must've shown the endoskeleton…
And just at the moment the picture was taken, the middle character's jaw area must've swiveled… revealing what looked like to be metal spikes… teeth?, and sharp.
A parent probably wouldn't spot it, but when you have to possess an animatronic daily, you just tend to notice those small things.
She finally brought her eyes up from the poster, glancing around awkwardly. Toy Freddy had moved over, now sitting next to the cheetah, whom had finally caught his gaze.
"Amanda? Can you do us all a favor?" his voice was firm and calm, in contrast to everybody else. All the toys seemed to speak in hushed, nervous and scared voices.
"Depends…" the cheetah's ears swiveled a bit. She hoped he was going to say what she hoped he would.
"Can you go find out more about this new 'Baby's Place'?"
Bingo.
"Alright. I was hoping you'd say that. Want me to go now?" she stood up on fours, keeping her face to the toy animatronic.
"Alright. We'll cover you for the hundredth time." Toy Bonnie seemed to laugh. He seemed to be another one whom had calmed at least a little.
Amanda smirked a bit. "I don't have to go. Although, I really want to."
"No, no. It's fine." Toy Freddy shook his head, smiling a bit.
"Alright. Is there anything anybody wants to add to this?" Amanda spoke up, turning to the rest of the animatronics as she dipped her head towards the poster at her paws.
They all seemed to look at each other, quietly.
The cheetah then heard the soft patter of rain…
Oh.
"Uhm-" the cheetah's face went slightly red. "Mind if I go after the rain has passed…?" she laughed nervously.
Most everyone seemed to laugh- or at least smile, even if it was slightly or even a smirk.
She took another breath, sighing towards the end.
She glanced towards the clock.
5 AM. Damnit.
People might've already been showing up to the new place, and maybe even here, so there would be probably no way for her to sneak out safely.
She wouldn't be able to go tonight, the way this rain was going.
"Five AM." she spoke aloud, reminding everybody of the time.
"Guess it's time we got to our places." Toy Freddy sighed.
Everybody seemed to clear out, the withered heading back to the Parts & Service, the marionette and Balloon Boy going back towards the prize room and game rooms,and the Toys standing up on stage.
Amanda jumped off the stage, grabbing the poster after she landed, twisting around. She rolled it back up, then grasped it in her jaws.
She then turned back, and seemed to gallop towards the Starbound curtain. Before she entered, she paused, and looked back. Everybody else had entered their areas, and the toys were now frozen on stage.
She dipped her head once to the Toys, then sliding through the curtains after her own crew.
Her crew of 3 others had already positioned themselves on the stained wood stage. Now, they had positioned themselves into a triangle.
She slid the poster into a hidden compartment beneath the stage. She then leaped up onto the stage. She stood in the frontal middle, her suit clicking as it locked in place. She then went limp,but remained standing.
She went into a sort of sleep mode for the day.