A/N: Well, well, well...

Who would've thought that I'd be "back from the dead"? (People who've read my popular "Heaven's Lost Property" fanfiction and its sequel will understand what I mean by this) Well, I am, and this is how I plan on making my return: with an absolutely glorious "Five Nights at Freddy's" fanfic.

Alright, so here's the deal: first and foremost, elements of this story have taken inspiration from Seasons 2 and 3 (the third being one that is still ongoing) of Zajcu37's FNAF animation series. I'm aware that some of you love it, and some of you hate it so much that you wish the very game itself which spawned those animations would suddenly cease to exist (and to be fair, this fandom has spawned some pretty horrific things... in a very different sense than the terror that you experience when you play the very first game, because let's be honest: the other 3 are not all that scary in comparison). Well, if you're a person reading this who happens to hate those animations, then that's too bad, because there's stuff in them that I actually really enjoy (to be fair though, the shipping is not really one of them). However, this doesn't mean that there will be a heavy reliance upon it; I'm just saying that I'm drawing a little inspiration from it and will put my own little twist on it to make it unique.

Secondly, to accommodate for (possible) romance between characters and to give this story a much more gritty feel to it, the animatronics will be humanized, meaning that they will now take on a human form as opposed to being... well, you know what they originally are. I can't really make this as complex as I want to if I keep the cast in their initial forms (it'll just end up being cartoonish and ultimately ridiculous), so that's why I'm giving them the form of actual people. Don't worry: their appearances and backstories will be realistic enough to make their existence in this kind of incarnation sensible.

And... Oh yeah, one more thing: please do not expect chapters to be frequently updated. I'm currently very busy in real life with multiple different things, and thus will not be able to deliver chapters at a rapid pace. However, I won't let it take any longer than a month or two for me to update the story.

Okay, that's it for now. Thank you for bearing with this long Author's Note (in the case of which you have), and I hope you enjoy this first chapter. Feel free to review/follow/favorite when you're done.

CHAPTER ONE: AN ELEGANT FINISH
LOCATION: FREDDY FAZBEAR'S PIZZA
YEAR: 1987

"So... What exactly is this thing, anyway?"
"Just don't touch it. I'd hate for us ta' have ta' explain to the manager why his property ended up in tatters."
"Whatever you say, 'O Mighty Pirate Fox."
"I told ya' already, Bonnie. 'Foxy' will do."

Leant against the counter by the Prize Corner was a boy with a slightly lanky stature and long but straight purple hair which was draped over the left side of his face, adorning a purple dress shirt with its sleeves rolled up and a red bowtie attached to its collar, a pair of black dress pants and a pair of black dress shoes over his general form. His magenta-colored eyes (which were really just contacts) were fixated on a blue box with purple stripes made to make it look as though it were a ribbon for it, and the copper-colored eyes of a redhead leant against the wall the aforementioned box was up against did the same. In contrast, he wore a white dress shirt with an intricate, unbuttoned burgundy tunic draped overtop, a pair of tan cargo pants, a set of black laced boots for his feet and an eye patch which veiled his right eye. He ran the edge of a hook on his right hand along the stubble of his chin, thoughtfully gazing upon the box with his one open eye and wondering what exactly it contained. It was a recent addition to the location, and nobody except for the establishment's staff members knew anything of it except for that it was "a surprise". It was certainly enough to keep the kids who went there in suspense... and the performers of the pizzeria were also intrigued to find out what exactly this was supposed to be.

"Tch. Imagine if all that's in this box is just another batch of these dumb toys..." Bonnie scoffed with a shake of his head, looking distastefully back at all the plushies lined up on shelves behind him before resetting the position of his eyes over to Foxy. "I mean, can you even believe how popular those things are? I don't even know where the hell they got the extra inspiration from, but now they've turned us into animals. Animals. Like... You kiddin' me right now? Why in God's name do I have to be a bunny? Why not something cooler, like a dragon?"

"Because ya' ain't cool enough ta' be represented as a dragon, matey," Foxy retorted with a teasing grin, to which his purple-haired (and purple-dressed) friend responded with yet another shake of his head and a sigh. The redhead's typical deep accent was ever-present as always, apparently destined to never go away...

"I dunno; I'm calling bullshit, is all I'm saying. By the way, remind me again: why do you always feel the need to talk like a pirate...? Isn't that just your get-up for when we're up onstage? You don't always need to be like one, you know. Not to mention your name. Here I am performing with my normal one because I didn't want anybody changing my name for anything, yet you and the other two are always sticking with your stage names... You know your real name, don't you? Isn't it unne-"

"Can it. That's just who I am. I like being a pirate. If you 'ave a problem with it, I can walk ye off tha' plank."
"That's not even a metaphor that makes sense..."

Foxy was still, against all odds, being dead serious about what he was saying. Well, about whatever he was saying when he mentioned a nonexistent plank. The gentle yet piercing glare now written into his facial expression said it all, and Bonnie had to resist the urge to shudder when he noticed it before looking away and turning his attention back down to the box. Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to get anyone around here to cheer up in the slightest... Sure, they all had smiles on their lips and were generally energetic when they went around tending to the many families who came to eat at the pizzeria. But that was not the same as having something authentic in that sense... Something that wasn't forced just for the sake of making other people smile. During closing hours when they stayed here- since there was no place else for them to go- they all seemed relatively gloomy and reluctant to do anything that might bring their spirits up even by a little. They all- childhood friends since they knew how to speak- had shared a rough past brought about by a cruel twist of fate. It had a lasting effect on them all, and being in character here was really the only thing they knew how to do in order to escape the memory of it all. Bonnie was the last one who was trying his absolute hardest to pretend that what had happened to them never existed and make some light out of their current situation... It really was hard when they were all so bleak. When they all had a dead and weary kind of look in their eyes when the night came around. They usually never slept. They usually couldn't sleep. They were mostly awake and restless throughout...

Sometimes, they felt a little crazy and went a little crazy. Even Bonnie would do that sometimes.

"... Seriously, though. I wanna open this box."
"Bonnie, I swear, ya' suggest that ta' me one more time and I'll-"

Foxy was cut off and was forced to jump back when the box in question suddenly popped open, and began to play a quick and flowery yet eerie kind of tune. With the pirate boy's fists raised into a fighting stance, Bonnie stood from afar with a now frightened expression on his face as he began to frantically wonder what the hell was really in this mysterious-ass box. It didn't take long for him to finally receive his answer...

And he damn near shit his pants when he saw what came out of it.

First, five black-gloved fingers opened up and then closed around the front edge of the box. Then, very slowly rose an immediately frightening-looking figure who had an imposing height, spiky black hair and a creepy looking mask that had rosy cheeks, printed lipstick, two straight purple lines on the inner segment just beside the circular blushes and a netted mouth and eyes that made both areas appear to be pure black on the inside. As for the thing's clothing, it sported a white-buttoned black jacket that was done up and had its sleeves rolled up to its forearms, an apparent under-sweater with a zebra-like pattern, and a pair of black dress pants. It had just been so out of the blue, and neither one of the two young men were certain of what to make of it. Was it human? They didn't know. Did it look threatening?

Hell fucking yes.

And it didn't help that the stupid music was still playing in the background from the box, either. While it continued, the strange thing (no, seriously; what were they even supposed to call it?) slowly cocked its head to the left to lay its 'eyes' upon Foxy to begin with, and then it turned its head in the other direction at the same agonizing pace to look at Bonnie for a much longer time. "U-Uh... You mind i-if you stop staring at me like that, pal...?" he spoke nervously, stuttering a little with his speech as he lifted up the index finger of his right hand to pull the collar of his shirt away from his throat and give himself some more breathing space that he felt had been minimized significantly. "I-I don't know if you can hear me, but... it'dbemuchappreciated."

"... Bonnie."
"The fuck-?!"

The voice which spoke the name of the purple-haired boy came out as an ominous kind of whisper that didn't seem to have any set masculinity nor feminism, wafting out in a silently distorted kind of form akin to a phantom. It scared Bonnie absolutely senseless, and he could already feel goosebumps travelling up his arm from the thought of how this thing already knew its name. The pirate performer had the same kind of surprise come his way a little while afterwards.

"... Foxy."

The voice was more settled this time, but still gave no indication towards a male or female origin. It was just... there. A tone with a baseline, but no real clarity. Just shrill noises here and low rumbles there. The redhead slowly lowered his hands and backed away as he looked up at the tall figure in awe, unable to believe what he was seeing with his own two eyes. It seemed to be... more than sentient. Almost extraterrestrial. There was no real determining what this thing was just by having a look at its exterior. They'd have to pry into the attire in order to find out for sure, but something told him that it wouldn't be happening anytime soon, if at all. The last thing he wanted was to cause any trouble with him, Bonnie and their new grandiose guest here in the Prize Corner.

"... What are ye, exactly...?" The answer to Foxy's inquiry was straightforward, unhurried and not at all delayed. Just a simple word for him and Bonnie to call it by.

"... Puppet."

"Always a washroom kind of gal, I see."
"... Anyone ever tell you that it's improper for a man to enter the women's restroom?"
"As if there's anything else you do here besides sit and canoodle that plastic cupcake of yours. Besides, there's no one else here but you. It's perfectly fine."

The smallest of smiles graced the blonde girl's naturally pink lips at her friend's retort, lowering her purple-colored eyes (which were also contacts like Bonnie's) down to her jean-covered knees with an almost disbelieving shake of her head. Freddy somehow managed to just be so ridiculous sometimes, even more than their purple-haired companion. But, still... it was a welcome kind of ridiculousness. Chica had always been the worst off, more so than Foxy (who had been hit significantly hard with the psychological trauma that they all were forced to cope with). She exhibited the oddest kind of behaviours of the four, and was the most prone to losing her grasp on reality and falling over the edge into near-utter madness. She detested it so much, and that just made her mental state even worse when she wasn't so busy putting on a show for all of those screaming and loudly laughing children. Everything was just so... rattling. She only had the guys to fall upon in moments where she felt like any hope for hanging on any longer was lost. And even as little as it assisted her, little assistance was still much better than no assistance at all.

The brunette boy with straight kempt hair below a black top hat, eyes that matched its color, a chestnut vest with a white undershirt beneath it, black dress pants and black dress shoes eventually went to go and sit beside the girl with a yellow jacket, white t-shirt underneath and brown cowboy-like boots with a heavy exhale, just staring up at the ceiling for a lack of anything better to do with his time as of present.

"So what kept you busy tonight, 'Mr. Fazbear'?"
"... I had another fit, I think. I vaguely remember being shut out by that night-watchman in the office."
"Mm... I hate that guy. Do we know his name?"
"Hm... Something Fitzgerald, I think. That's at least what I think I heard during the day, one time."
"Right. Well, fuck Fitzgerald."
"Yeah, fuck Fitzgerald."

Having a night-watchman monitor just about their every move was agitating when pondered about, to say the least. Of course, their occasional 'switches in mood' were exactly why one was put in place, to avoid having anything damaged while they went through their bouts... The measurement didn't at all stop them from taking place, though. In fact, it made it so that whoever was in charge of watching them would often become the target of their faltering consciences. So far, there'd already been an instance of... well, the previous person who had been put up for the task suddenly 'going missing' overnight. The establishment had expectedly covered up the event, and in turn, there wasn't any blame put upon them by the public for it.

"... Do you ever just feel like leaving? Running away from all this?" The sudden question made Freddy turn his head so he could look at Chica, made curious by her suggestion.

"You want to stop being here?"

"I'd be lying if I said that I didn't," Chica responded with a nonchalant shrug, parting her lips to let out a soft breath. "It's overwhelming sometimes, you know...? Having to put up with this persona of mine that I know isn't me... Well, that isn't me anymore, and... I just... I don't know. It gets to me. It grates on my nerves, and I just can't take it sometimes. Don't get me wrong, it's fun being here with you guys... but... that's why I want you all to come with me. To just leave all this behind and finally start fresh somewhere else."

"You know just as well as I do that we have nowhere else to go, Chica," Freddy told her with an even-levelled voice. "This is all we have to fall back on, now. I know it's pretty overwhelming sometimes, believe me, but we just can't stop doing all this. This is home, now. This is what... keeps us alive. This is what keeps us from living in the world with fear."

"But that's just it," Chica interjected with a voice that briefly turned sharp as she looked up at him. "I don't want to be confined by all of this. I still want to feel something other than this... this... emptiness that keeps eating away at me. I want us to st- What the fuck?!" Both Freddy and Chica jumped up at the same time after witnessing a tall, mostly black entity gradually saunter its way into the restroom, alerted by the abrupt unfamiliar presence that intruded on them while they had been having a heart to heart discussion. Following closely behind were Foxy and Bonnie, the latter of whom continued to maintain a fair enough distance as to keep at least some semblance of comfort, despite knowing that there (presumably) was no harm intended by this creature of unknown origin.

"G-Guys...? Explain! Now!" Freddy yelled, backed up tightly against the wall with wide eyes as he stared up at the humongous thing before him. With a deep breath in and out through his nose, Foxy was the one to follow through with the leader of their group's panicked request.

"Laddies, meet the Puppet... Puppet, meet our lads Chica and Freddy. Uh, Puppet here... seems to know everything about us. Even what happened when we were kids."