Hey, all!

So.

Brand new idea I had the last couple of weeks. You may have seen a notice for an FNaF Fic on ASAtB if you follow me. But, I just had an idea for a new FNaF Fic, and that's this one! I might do the one that I talked about on ASAtB once this story is complete.

Twisted is currently in the works. But! Since the fandom that this story centers around is currently at its height, I thought I'd just get this out as soon as possible! I was inspired by Koili the Artist's story Brothers of Circuits, and have been dying to do a Five Nights at Freddy's tale myself.

After much consideration between the names "The Journey", "Don't Stop Believing", and "We're All in this Together", I've settled on the first.

The following story will be based upon my observation of the FNaF timeline, and mainly through the eyes of Freddy Fazbear. It will not be a first-person, but will focus around the narration of his thoughts, exactly how my Warriors FanFiction Twisted focuses around Twistedfoot. (Note: now that I'm starting an FNaF story, I'm slowly beginning to despise my username)

Now, without further ado, the prologue of my newest creation, The Journey.

EDIT: I've changed the name to "The Story of Us"!

It was dark at first. He didn't hear much. Noise was the fuzzy, distant hum of air whizzing past. Slowly, he began to feel something on his feet. Flat, solid material: flooring. Though he did not know this. He didn't know anything. He could faintly hear, and vaguely feel. Hours passed as he stood there. The darkness began to clear, and light, slowly but surely, filtered through. He began to feel more than the ground at his feet, but a poking and prodding at his mouth and chest. The prods turned to shoves, and the shoves turned to violent cranks.

Finally, his eyes flung open. Immediately he squinted them shut again against the brutal rays of light frying his sensors. When he stood still again, silently observing now that his senses were strengthening, he realized that there was an odd little pale creature, with a darker one standing beside it. The pale thing had some sort of metal instrument to his chest, which when upon looking, he realized had been pried open. A great many buttons and wires and dozens of other gadgets and gizmos to which he could not name rested upon a single circuit board inside his chest. The pale creature was working in this.

He stood still, watching the creature work. He looked up at the other darker-toned one. It was carrying some sort of bucket holding a whole plethora of instruments. It was the first to realize that he'd woken. He didn't understand their speech at first, but he twitched his ears to listen.

"'Ey Jim, get a load o' this. The bear's awake."

The pale creature at his chest jumped back, surprising him. "You're right." The pale creature tapped his nose. "Guess is AI chip is startin' to boot."

He blinked a little, twitching his ears. After a moment, his eyes went to a bit of static. He squinted them shut again, shaking his head. When they were open, his AI filled him with knowledge.

Fredbear, he thought. That's my name.

"Big yellow softy," the dark-toned creature laughed, patting Fredbear's shoulder. His touch surprised the animatronic.

Bear? he thought. What's… "bear"?

Quick as a flash, an explanation buzzed through his AI chip. Analysis of "bear": a carnivorous or omnivorous mammal in the Ursidae family, closely related to canines. Then a picture of a grizzly bear flashed across his vision. He blinked in surprise, understanding.

"F-Fred-d-d." Fredbear began stuttering glitchy words.

"Hold on," the one called Jim said. He started entwining more wires together. Suddenly, he slammed the panel on Fredbear's chest shut. Fredbear blinked. He opened his jaw again, and a noise came out. "Aaaaaaah…" Jim fiddled with his jaw a bit. "Aaahiii…" Jim tightened the loose bolts. "Hi. Hello."

Jim smiled. "Well, Alby, looks like enough work for today."

The dark-toned one, Alby, nodded.

Fredbear looked around. His AI chip spilled all kinds of information. Analysis of human: a man, woman or child from the family Homo sapiens sapiens, distinguished from other organisms by superior mental development, power of articulate speech, and upright stance.

"L-like me-e!" Fredbear said out loud. He liked hearing his own voice. "I a-am hu-human!"

Alby gave a hearty laugh. "Ah no, you're like a human, but you ain't."

Fredbear cocked his head. He opened his jaw, letting the robotic voice spill the explanation a second time, this time out loud to the pair of technicians. "Hu-human?"

Jim shook his head. "You're an animatronic."

Fredbear blinked again, twitching his ears confusedly. "Animatronic," he repeated, the glitchy voice evening out. He searched his AI chip again. Analysis of animatronic: the robotic voice buzzed inside his again, of, relating to, or being a puppet of or similar figure that is animated by means of electromechanical devices. A photo of a large, yellow animatronic rabbit flashed across his vision. He blinked it away, then nodded at Jim.

"Funny, I didn't think his AI had the capacity to take words from his programmed songs and speeches and use them. I know we put it in but I didn't think it would work."

"Does that mean he's capable of speech?" Alby asked as he held the bucket, Fredbear analyzing it to be a toolbox.

"Very primitive speech. He takes words from the jokes, speeches and songs that were programmed in his voicebox to make tiny sentences. That's why the words sound glitchy, uneven and pitchy."

Alby bit his lip. "That's weird."

"Very. But it takes a lot of gears in him, so I doubt he'll do it too often. 'Ey, pal?" He patted Fredbear as Alby had, but this time on the head.

Fredbear liked the feel of that. He decided to give the human a pat as well. He held up his arm, watching it curiously, then moved his fingers. He opened his jaw in a gaping, goofy grin at it. He put his paw on the technician's head, moving it up and down in a patting motion.

Jim winced with a laugh. "I appreciate that, buddy," he gently removed Fredbear's paw, much to the animatronic's confusion, "but your paw is a bit harder than my hand."

Fredbear looked down at his fabric-coated metal paw. He blinked, moving his fingers. He searched his AI for the contents. Animatronic consistency analysis: paw is made from multiple parts. There was a map of his paws. Inner layer is of complex endoskeleton parts intertwining to create movement. Endoskeleton is covered by thick steal molding to add shape to animatronic character. Steel is covered in yellow felt.

Fredbear smiled. Okay, he thought. The animatronic bear wondered what to explore about himself next. Life was so new and interesting! His ears perked as he removed his top hat, inspecting it curiously. The hat was a dark, muddy brown color with a black trim. He tipped it this way and that, patting it gently. It was new and shiny, made out of velvety fabric. He placed it back on top of his head, and then remembered that when he'd been watching the human tamper with the wires in his chest, he had seen another dark brown object: a bowtie, as his AI explained. It was made out of the same velvety brown fabric, and Fredbear fiddled with it cheerily.

His curiosity was interrupted by the men packing up their tools. "Alright, hook him up to the charger." Jim shoved a hand lazily in the direction of a black wire connecting to the wall. "He and the other one's got work to do in a couple o' weeks."

Other one? Fredbear thought. But his AI did not have an answer.

Alby followed Jim's orders, thrusting open Fredbear's chest panel once more and connecting the loose end of the black wire to the circuit board. The bear felt a rush of energy. At first, it burned a bit – he wanted to remove the object. But quickly, it felt soothing, slowly filling him with electronic power, replenishing his energy. Fredbear wanted to ask questions to the men. He searched his voice box quickly to find words. "Come back soon, kids!" a voice erupted. He tried again. "Fredbear always loves talkin' with y'all!"

The men laughed at Fredbear's desperate attempt to call them back. "Look at that," Alby said. "He's learning to talk." The human gave a dramatic sigh of sarcasm. "They grow up so fast!"

Jim gave a good-hearted chuckle, and the men walked out the door, leaving Fredbear alone. The door shut, and the footsteps continued. Another door opened and shut. The walking continued and stopped periodically. Finally, another door was opened, ringing a little bell. The door was shut, ringing the bell a second time, and the footsteps were no longer heard. Fredbear looked at his feet. He felt lonely.

"Well, hey there!" said a cheery voice.

Fredbear jumped. He looked in the direction of the voice. A huge robot stood there, about the size of Fredbear. But this was not a bear – it was a rabbit.

"Howdy, pal! You look a little flustered." The rabbit smiled at him.

Fredbear looked the bunny up and down. He had the appearance of being about a foot taller due to his floppy ears. He had a muddy brown bowtie like the bear, and he was the same yellow color. He realized that it was the exact same bunny that his AI chip had shown him when he searched up the analysis of the word "animatronic". Fredbear cocked his head.

"Haha! You must be Fredbear, 'ey? I'm Hopper. I suppose you could call me your partner!" The happy rabbit took a step toward him, offering a paw. "You talk, buddy?"

Fredbear held up his own paw, unsure of what to do. Hopper laughed, grabbing his paw and shaking it. "Boy, you're a newbie, that's for sure! It's called a handshake, Fred! Can I call ya' Fred? Fredbear's an awful mouthful for a daily basis!"

Fredbear gulped, nodding. "Great! Call me what you will, I don't mind. Hopper, Hops, Hop-Along, don't matter to me!"

Fredbear was surprised by the animatronic's outgoing nature. He was even more confused by the way the rabbit was communicating. To a human, the words and sentences the bunny was putting together would sound like static. But to Fredbear, it was crystal clear and understandable. It was as though they had their own animatronic language.

Hopper finally pulled his hand away, leaving Fredbear shaking the air for a second. Embarrassed, he brought his paw back to his side. Hopper folded his arms, a friendly smirk on his face. Fredbear felt an odd calm at the snarky expression. "But like I said Fred, you talk?"

Fredbear paused. Then he gave a smile, nodding. He opened his jaw and let his voice box pick out a couple of programmed words which he would say to the kids while up on stage once they were set up. "So who here knows the words to Fredbear's favorite song?" "Enjoying your pizza? I'm enjoying seeing all of you today!"

Hopper laughed, waving his hands dismissively. "Nah, none of that human nonsense! It's all just gibberish. I'm talkin' our language, pal! Can you talk to me?"

Fredbear shrugged. Hopper smirked. "Ah, come on, give it a try." Fredbear looked at his feet, shaking his head like a child being scolded. Hopper patted his shoulder. "It's easy! Just work with your voice box a little."

Fredbear looked at him for a minute, then shrugged, but gave a slightly more determined nod. The bear opened his jaws, trying to reach a place in his voice box. For a moment, he was able to alter one of his programmed speeches. "I-I… Hold on…" then right back to human English.

"Good effort, good effort my furry friend! Three words're better than none!" Hopper was clapping now, eliciting loud clangs that echoed off the walls. "C'mon, give it another try!"

Fredbear was grinning, proud of himself. He fumbled with his voice box some more. Minutes passed of glitching and a mix of static and human English. Then, suddenly, he felt his voice box twitch into place. "H-h…" he began, "He-hello…"

"Yes, yes! Go! Go! C'mon, you can do it!" Hopper was leaning in with anticipation.

"H-hello… I-I'm-I'm Fredbear. N-Ni-Nice to meet y-you, Hopper."

Hopper gave jump followed by a fist-pump, which made a loud bang when he collided once more with the floor. "Yes! Do it again, do it again!"

"F-Fre-Fredb-bear. F-Fre-Fredbear. F-Fredbear. Fredbear, Fredbear, F-Fredbear." He continued repeating his name over and over until the glitching finally ceased. "Fredbear. Fredbear! Hey, listen to that! I can talk! I can talk!"

Hopper laughed again. "Alright!" He held up a fisted hand. Fredbear flinched away. His AI chip informed him that a fist usually meant a punch would follow.

Hopper giggled. "Oh no, I'm not gonna hit you! It's a fist bump, see?" He demonstrated with his other free hand, gently bumping the two. "Harmless." He held it up again, waiting.

Fredbear looked down at his paw. It was different from Hopper's hand. Fredbear's only had four fingers on each, while Hopper had five like the humans. Could he clench it like the rabbit? He tried. It worked.

Hopper raised his eyebrows, smiling. "Heh? Fist bump, go on!"

Fredbear raised his fisted paw, gently tapping Hopper's. "Like that…?" he asked hesitantly.

"Harder!" Hopper exclaimed. "That was a baby punch. The kids who come here could do better than that."

Fredbear looked at his paw, hitting harder this time.

"Atta'boy!" Hopper chirped, retracting his hand again. A moment of silence passed, then Hopper smirked again. "Bet'cha don't even know where we are, do ya' Fred?"

Fredbear realized that he hadn't given that much thought. He shook his head, looking around the room. The space was crowded with tools, masks, unfinished endoskeletons and various animatronic parts and wires.

"This room ain't the whole world, pal!" Hopper made a shushing motion with his fingers, then turned the knob on the door. It clicked open, and Hopper nodded toward the opening. Fredbear looked through. What he saw was a long hallway with multiple doors on its sides. At the end of the hallway was a room. He saw a small glimpse of a few tables with party hats lined up. He looked back at Hopper confusedly.

"We're entertainment for little kids," the rabbit said. He seemed a bit more crestfallen now. Fredbear was confused.

"Is that bad?" he asked.

"Nah, not really. But we're locked in here all day long."

Fredbear creased his brow in confusion. "Huh?"

Hopper explained. "By day, we stand on a stage and perform for children. For about… I dunno, twelve hours straight?" He chuckled at Fredbear's shocked expression. "We get Sundays off. By night we can walk freely around unless we're low on power. Then we have to get hooked up to a power outlet all night."

Fredbear blinked. "Is anything wrong with that?"

"We have no freedom," Hopper sighed. "They won't let us go outside – we might get 'damaged'," he imitated a technician's voice. "Like we can't tell our left from our right, sheesh."

Fredbear smiled. "But why would need to go outside? It's exciting enough in here!"

Hopper laughed. "We'll get bored after a few years, I bet. Anyhow, I guess it ain't all too bad. It's our job, I s'pose. We ain't got a choice."

Fredbear twitched his ears. He removed his hat, holding it to his chest with both paws. "Can we explore?"

Hopper paused. "Hm." He looked out the door again. "Don't see nobody." After a moment, he turned back to Fredbear. "Why the heck not? Ain't got nothin' better to do!"

Fredbear smiled, putting his top hat back on his head. "Where do we go first?"

"Don't rightly know! The place is new, and all ours for the taking. Besides, we're the masters around here! The main attraction, the big guys!"

Fredbear laughed. "So we make the rules?"

"Oh, no, no, no, o' course not!" Hopper said.

Fredbear blinked. "But you just said –"

"Ah, I was talkin' big. We're not in charge. That's the boss, the big man. The management."

"The management?"

"Yep. The management owns this establishment. Fancy guys in suits. They've got their little minion employees around here in grimy uniforms with silly tags sayin', 'My name is So-and-So'."

"I'm confused," Fredbear replied.

"The management is the group of rich men who own this place. They're off in their mansions and offices, living off the income we make for 'em." He straightened his bowtie. "They run it and make the rules. There are the employees, which are the humans you'll see running around day by day. They're mostly teenagers lookin' for a little cash. They make sure all the kids are seated, tables are waited on with pizza, and the two of us are in place."

Fredbear's ears perked up. "Pizza?"

"From what I hear, it's rather tasty." Hopper giving a rumble of pleasure at the thought. "We'll try some later. The coolest part is that the chefs make it right at your table! They keep all the dough and supplies in the office down the right hallway." He nodded down the hall to the right. Fredbear peeked out.

The hallway to the right of the storage room that they were in was much longer than the hallway that led straight ahead from them. But Fredbear could catch a small glimpse of a wooden desk in the center of a relatively average-sized room. The desk was crammed with TV screens, papers, loose batteries, and various remotes and flashlights. A large fan and tablet stood in the center of the messy desk. A swivel chair sat behind it, and behind those were multiple posters.

He turned back to Hopper. "Let's go get a closer look!"

Hopper nodded. "If you want." Hopper unplugged the charger from Fredbear's chest. The two stepped out the hinged door, quietly clicking it shut. "Now don't be all too loud. There might be humans about."

"What's the harm in that? The humans are supposed to be our companions."

"We might spook them. Giant robots clankin' around a pizzeria by themselves ain't all too uplifting for people!"

Fredbear nodded. "Okay." The two performers walked down the hall. They passed four rooms, each with tables cluttered with party hats. Eventually, they stepped into the wide office.

There was one thing for sure: it was a dump. More TVs had been stuffed into the corners, and a few posters hung on the walls. There was a vent on each side wall and right down on the floor, which was odd. They even had light switches above them. Fredbear clicked one. To his surprise, it lit up the inside of the vent.

"What's the point of that?" the bear wondered out loud. Hopper looked over.

"No idea. Maybe to see if the vent's clogged? Ventilation ain't always perfect."

The two shrugged it off, paying no mind to the other odd factor that that, instead of a door leading into the office, it was a huge, gaping opening. They explored a little longer, going from room to room, table to table, even checking out the bathroom stalls, which, since there had not yet been any customers, were sparkling clean.

Eventually, they came to the party room. It was full of tables crowded with festive banners and posters, and of course the party hats. But that was not what excited the two animatronics.

The most interesting part was the stage. It was wide and wooden, overlooking the room like a grand plateau. The two characters climbed on it, checking out the view. Fredbear peered at the huge banner which stretched across the back wall of long stage.

"'Fredbear's Family Diner'," he read out loud.

Hopper paused, then turned to him with a goofy grin. "Looks like we have a restaurant to entertain."

Weeks of preparation passed. Fredbear and Hopper were moved to the main stage so they would be set and ready to work. The two were constantly turned on, and even interacted with the employees as they worked on the lighting and props and such.

Hopper gave Fredbear a nudge the day before their first performance. "Hey! I heard some interesting news."

"News?" Fredbear asked absently. He was twiddling his thumbs and staring out at the tables, far too nervous about their first time on stage to think about any "interesting news".

"You know how the technicians been goin' back and forth to Parts & Service? Y'know, where we were 'fore they moved us up here?"

"Uh-huh," Fredbear muttered again.

Hopper tapped him on the shoulder. "'Ey. This is genuinely interesting, Fred. And it'll totally affect us. You should listen."

Fredbear nodded apologetically. "Sorry, just distracted. So go on, what's this about interesting news?"

Hopper grinned, tapping his huge rabbit feet. "Well, I heard the employees talking 'bout some, 'new additions' to the performance crew. That's us!"

Fredbear's eyes widened. "New additions?" he echoed. "You mean, more members of our band?"

"Yessiree!" Hopper exclaimed, giving as little bounce. "Ain't ya' excited, Fred? New friends! More members of the Family Diner family!"

Fredbear was truly excited. He was eager to meet more than just Hopper. But something itched at him. "You sure they won't, y'know…"

"I know what?" Hopper asked, cocking his head which caused his bunny ears to flop to the side.

"Nothing. Never mind."

"What is it, Fred?" Hopper pressed.

"Put a rift in our friendship, I guess?" He felt awkward and selfish saying this.

Hopper stepped back. "You mean, I'd let one of those guys replace you? Whoa there, Fredbear!" He patted his shoulder. "You're my little brother! Nobody could come between brotherhood, ya' understand?"

Fredbear smiled. "Alright, sorry I mentioned it."

Hopper gave his usual good-hearted laugh. "No need to apologize, Fred. Gotta say, I wasn't totally comfortable with it me'self. But as long as I know you feel the same way, guess I shouldn't be too worried!" He patted Fredbear on the back, causing a loud clang that startled a few nearby workers.

The first day came up. Fredbear stood behind the curtain with Hopper, who held a little red guitar. He gulped. Why did he have to be the singer? He knew Hopper sang backup, but he didn't like being front and center. He was nervous.

"Fred?" came a whisper. It was dark behind the curtain, but Fredbear knew the only one it could be was Hopper.

"Yeah?" he replied in a hush.

"You okay?" Hopper asked.

"Fine," Fredbear replied. "Just a little anxious."

Hopper gave him a soft pat on the back, followed by a quiet chuckle. "Don't worry. You just gotta open your mouth, and that stupid human nonsense will fall out!"

Fredbear smiled. "Okay. Just back me up, will ya'?"

"What else can I do?" Hopper joked.

Suddenly, the man in front of the curtain finished talking. Since it was the grand opening, a speaker had introduced the two singers. They drew in a breath, causing the fans in their endoskeletons to turn on and cool their circuits.

"Ready?" Hopper whispered, more quietly than before.

"Okay," was the only thing Fredbear could choke out.

The curtain pulled open. A bright flash of light hit their censors, making them squint. They had to resist the urge to put their arms in front of their faces and flinch. Quickly, though, their eyes adjusted, and a huge crowd of laughing, talking, and crying children were revealed. A few shushes were heard from parents, and most of the kids went wide-eyed and silent with astonishment at the giant bear and rabbit. A few babies cried here and there, and two five-or-six-year-old boys were talking loudly at the front.

Fredbear was silent for a moment. He was afraid he'd start speaking the programmed words but his voice box would get locked up. Or he'd pick out the wrong track. Or he'd slip into animatronic static. Hopper gave him a nudge.

He gave a static cough, then started speaking. "Well, hiya kids!" He said in a far more dorky voice than his static talk with Hopper. "I'm Fredbear, your buddy! We're friends now, right?" He held up a paw to his ear, waiting for the kids to reply.

"Yeah," came a weak call of a few kids from the crowd.

"I can't hear you!" he said.

"Yeah!" the children screamed unnecessarily loud.

Fredbear gave a sarcastic stumble backward. "You blew me away!" The kids laughed a bit. "Well, now that you've met me, meet my best friend, Hopper!"

Hopper stepped up, giving his guitar a strum. "Hey, kids! Are we having fun?" his voicebox chimed in a slightly less dorky voice than Fredbear's.

"Yeah!" they all shouted excitedly in unison.

"Well, great! Boy Fredbear, these are some nice kids! You know what they're making me really wanna do?"

Fredbear cocked his head, wiggling his ears. His bow tie spun around comically. The crowd laughed again, even a few parents. "What could you possibly want to do, Hopper?"

"I want to sing!" He held up his guitar, turning back to the crowd. Fredbear did the same.

"Well kids, how does that sound? Should we sing a song?"

"Yeah!" shouted most of the kids. A few older boys who were trying to be funny shouted "no", and a baby started screaming. A couple kids ran right up to the edge of the stage, only to be gently shooed back by a few employees.

"Then let's sing!" So Hopper started strumming his guitar, and Fredbear opened his jaws.

The song began.

They started walking throughout the crowd as they sang, extra careful not to step on a child. A few of the parents and older kids looked a bit shocked at the fact that robots were free-roaming, but the little kids just squealed in excitement.

The day ended quickly. So did the week. A whole month flew by.

Fredbear and Hopper were rising in popularity. People were coming from all around to get a look at the two yellow animatronics. A couple of the younger kids had even started calling Fredbear "Goldie" since "Fredbear" was hard for a few of them to say. Things were looking quite bright for the two brothers when, suddenly, a loud voice reverberated from the Parts & Service.

"They're finished!"

There you go, brand new story!

Now now, don't blow a gasket – I'm still working on Twisted. I've just hit a tiny bit of writer's block. And my inspiration has been running low. But gee, Five Nights at Freddy's is interesting!

If you're confused, this story will be basically how I think the entire timeline happened. Unless Scott Cawthon makes another game!

Note: If you're reading this in the far future, this story was published a few weeks after the third game came out. I've seen FanFictions like "Brothers of Circuits" get blown up on since they don't follow the timeline correctly, but people overlook the fact that Koili published the story when the first game was still the only one that was out. So just in case there's a fourth game, pay attention to this note!

I hope you guys get interested! If not I'll just flop back to boring old Twisted.

Thanks!