Before I met Luffy and the rest of the straw-hats, there was a time I found myself on a planet not too different from my own. There was evidence of Zalgo's corruption, but I couldn't pinpoint an exact culprit. Soon the cost of living caught up with me, and I had to find a job. I could go a few days without eating, but everyone had their limits. I briefly considered stealing to get by, but I had taken my sister and Doc's advice to heart to try to better myself.
Soon I found myself standing outside a gaudy looking building. It was one of those arcade-party places that were popular with Americans, a Chucky-Cheese kind of thing. I had found a help-wanted add in a newspaper, they were looking for night guard and a mechanic. Both of those roles I could fill, so it seemed like an obvious choice. Walking in, my ears were assaulted by the sounds of children playing and games running. I was surprised at how nice the place seemed, expecting something much worse so it could match the sign outside.
"Hello!" A woman behind a desk greeted. "Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria!"
I was directed to the manager's office, a portly gentleman who seemed to always be smiling.
"Welcome! My name is James, James Schmidt." Mr. Schmidt greeted, shaking my hand. "Please, take a seat. I assume you're here about the janitorial position?"
"Actually, I'm here because of the paper-ad about a night guard." I corrected, causing his smile to grow wider.
"Really? That's great!" Mr. Schmidt exclaimed. "We've been having some trouble finding someone reliable. How soon can you start?"
"As soon as you need." I answered. "I just hope you'll still hire me after I explain some things."
Mr. Schmidt's smile wavered a bit, but it persisted still.
"As I'm sure you noticed, I wear a mask." I continued. "That, and you can't see my skin. I have a…condition that affects my appearance, and I find that people have adverse reactions to seeing me without being covered."
"I'm certain it's not that bad." Mr. Schmidt remarked, like so many others. "We're adults, I'm sure your coworkers and I can handle it."
"With all due respect sir, you're not the first person to say that." I responded. "And I can guarantee you won't be the last. All I'm asking is that I'm allowed to make adjustments to any uniform."
"I don't see any reason you couldn't. Is there anything else I should know?" Mr. Schmidt asked.
"I also have a background in mechanics, and a case of-" I started, about to explain the problem of Zane.
*I'm not a problem you cunt-bag*
"You're hired!" Mr. Schmidt interrupted. "I'm sure anything else is inconsequential, you won't believe how impossible it is to find a mechanic in this town. How soon can you start, is today good?"
"I'd need a place to stay…"
"The break room has a couch, will that do? Please, if your skills are up to snuff it would help greatly. I can barely afford the band's upkeep."
"The band's upkeep…?"
"Yeah, you won't believe how much they charge when they know you're desperate."
"No, I meant what band. There's a band?"
Mr. Schmidt looked confused for a moment.
"Of course, the main attraction. Freddy Fazbear and his friends."
In hindsight, it would have been a good idea to look up this place more than not at all. Standing on a stage before me were creatures straight out of my nightmares. Actually, that's a little harsh. As far as animatronics went, they didn't look that awful. The band I was being told about was made up of three characters; Bonnie the Bunny, Chica the Chicken, and Freddy Fazbear who was the leader. In a different part of the pizzeria was a play area called "Pirate's Cove", where Foxy the Pirate made his home. It was easy to tell which animals the three were supposed to be, even without knowing their names. At the same time, they weren't too dissimilar from human shape. Their appearance was tip-toeing the line into Uncanny Valley, but kept just shy of it in a way that was almost charming. It worked for children I suppose.
Clearly supposed to be feminine, Chica's casing was covered in a soft-looking yellow fur. A small beak sat under bright eyes, and a "Let's Eat!" bib-thing was wrapped around her neck. Bonnie appeared to be younger than Chica and Freddy, somewhere between 12 and 15 if I had to guess, a red bow tie around her neck. I couldn't quite tell what gender Bonnie was supposed to be, her purple fur and shape making her appear androgynous. I only decided she was a 'her' so I could appease my OCD, making it two girls and two boys at Freddy's. Freddy himself was about as tall as me, perhaps a bit shorter, but he was wide as all hell and covered in brown fur. It made sense for the leader bear to be stocky and big, and a dark top hat and bow tie made up his outfit. I went to see Foxy later, who was as tall as Freddy, but much skinnier as to appear slightly lanky. An eyepatch rested over his right eye, and a shiny silver hook replaced his right hand. Red fur and a slightly pronounced muzzle completed the fox image.
As I watched them perform, barely listening to Mr. Schmidt as he explained they were gifted to him by an old friend, I noticed that Freddy appeared to give me a strange look every once in a while. I shrugged it off as my paranoia, how can an animatronic give someone a "look"? I gave one last glance at the band before leaving. I had to return at 10 tonight to pick up my uniform and learn the basics, so that gave me a few hours to search for leads on Zalgo.
After hiding the Heart of Gold behind Freddy's, I got set up in the security office. Changing into my security uniform, I was slightly disappointed to find that I had nothing to cover the back of my neck as the hat they gave me only came down so far. Deciding it was acceptable, I grabbed my toolbox and started to do my rounds. The lights were dimmed after hours, and my alterations made it so I had no problem seeing.
Humming a tune as I walked around, I checked the games to make sure they were working. Coming upon a pinball machine adorned with a "Broken" sign, I popped it open and went to work. As I worked, I heard a noise coming from the kitchen. Stoping, I slowly opened the door to investigate. Looking around, I almost gave a scream when I noticed Chica bending over to pick up a fallen pot.
I stood there, waiting for her to move before I realized what an idiot I was being. Animatronics don't move on their own, one of the other people who work here must have set this up. Grumbling to myself about being tricked, I picked up Chica and maneuvered it back to the stage. It was a pain considering how rigid they were, and its awkward position, but I managed to get it back into position.
Doing one last pass, I returned to the security office and watched the cameras for the rest of the night.
The next few nights were much of the same, I did a sweep for anything broken and put any animatronics that were out back into place. The others denied to be the ones doing it, but I didn't believe them. It's not like the band can move around on their own. Oddly enough, Freddy has yet to be moved. I figured it was too heavy for any of my coworkers to lift, not that the others are feathers themselves.
For whatever reason, Chica seemed to gravitate toward the kitchen.
"No, not gravitate. That would imply s-it was moving herself."
For whatever reason, the other workers liked putting Chica in the kitchen. I'd usually hear someone messing with the lots and such, but would only end up finding the chicken.
"They put a lot of effort into trolling me, balancing everything so it doesn't fall immediately."
Obviously not a great explanation, but it was the best I could come up with.
*I have a better one.*
"Shut up, you're wrong."
*It's the only thing that explained everything. Occam's razor; the simplest answer is often the best.*
"First of all, that's not what it means. Second; your answer is far from simple. Lastly; where did you even learn that?"
*Fuck you, I know things.*
"Then you should know animatronics can't come alive."
*Honestly, with all the other shit we've seen, would you even be surprised?*
"We both know we'd be too terrified to be surprised, I can barely handle finding them posed everywhere."
*Which is exactly why we should leave.*
"We need the money."
*Bullshit.*
"I suppose we don't have to eat…"
*You fucking know what I mean. We don't need a job."
"We aren't stealing anything."
"Well, that's good to know."
I shrieked a bit, startled by the new voice. Spinning around, I saw Mr. Schmidt looking at me. He was clearly amused by the fact he snuck up on me, barely able to contain his grin. Leaning against a pinball machine, I waited for my heart to calm down before responding.
"Hey boss, have you ever considered becoming a ninja?" I asked, grinning a bit.
"Ha! You give me too much credit, it's easy to sneak up on someone distracted with talking to themselves." Mr. Schmidt replied, waving it off. "It's opening time, so your shift is over."
"Alright, I'll see you tonight." I said, returning to the office.
"Make sure you get some sleep." Mr. Schmidt called after me. "It won't look good for Freddy's if one of our employes goes mad."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Tuesday night came, and with it a new chair. I had found it on my way to work, and Mr. Schmidt didn't mind me installing it.
*I thought we weren't going to steal?*
"I thought dentists weren't people?"
*Touché*
Relaxing in my new seat, I watched the cameras. I was almost disappointed nothing happened. Bored out of my mind, I decided that I would find a book or something for next time. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore, and left the office. For whatever reason, I soon found myself standing before the stage. Staring at Freddy and the band, a sense of unease fell upon me. Something was…off about them, a secret they were keeping. Climbing up to get a better look, I slipped and crashed into the head bear.
"Shit!" I exclaimed, grabbing Freddy to try to support myself.
Instead, the metal bastard came with me. With a grunt of pain, I ended up under the dead gaze of Freddy Fazbear. My breath catching in my throat, we stared at each other for what felt like forever, before I finally couldn't take it and threw it off of me. Waiting until my ragged beating and racing heart calmed down, I put Freddy back into place. Making a beeline for the security office, I didn't leave for the rest of the night.
Wednesday; the half-way point until my first paycheck. Watching this place for three-hundred dollars a week wasn't too bad apparently, and wasn't that hard of work. Never mind the occasional heart-wrenching fear. Like tonight for instance. It was all going good, fixing a foosball machine and repairing the popcorn maker, then I found Bonnie in my office. Sitting in my chair.
"What the hell?" I mumbled, slowly edging closer to the animatronic. Leaning over it, my heart about jumped out of my throat when it's eyes slid open.
"Aaahhhh!" I screamed, falling to the ground.
There was a quiet gasp, then Bonnie twitched and fell next to me. A startled "eep!" escaped my lips as I slid away. Too scared to move, I stared down the rabbit and waited for it to move. After nothing happened for a while, I gingerly poked it with my foot.
Nothing.
Taking a few deep breaths, I picked Bonnie up and carried it back to the stage. Carefully reinstalling it, I did a final check before turning in for the night.