June 3, 1987

It was the third shift of new night watchman named Craig Peters and all the animatronics were just unwinding for the night.

Chica was the first to speak, "Should we go meet the new guy now? It's getting kinda awkward walking around with him just watching us."

"Gotta agree with her on this one, Freddy," Bonnie chimed, placing his guitar on a stand beside him.

The bear just glanced between the two respectively before shrugging, "I suppose an introduction couldn't hurt." He said. "We'll need to find Foxy first. If he's going to meet one of us, he might as well meet all of us."

The other two gave a wordless nod and followed him off the stage toward Pirate Cove. The moment they arrived, the fox eagerly stuck his head out, eye patch flapping open as he asked, "What be th' occasion, mateys?" he asked cheerfully. "Are we goin' on a voyage?"

Freddy shook his head, warm smile adorning him features, "No." He said evenly. "We're going to meet the new employee and ask that you join us."

"Tha lubber in tha back?" the fox asked, eyes quickening with interest.

He nodded, "We all agree that it is only right that we introduce ourselves to a new family member."

"Aye!" Foxy swung his hook jovially. "I finally be gettin' a new firs' matey ta 'venture with! No more lonely nights 'n tha Cove!"

A look of relief washed over Bonnie's face as he closed his eyes and quietly cheered, "Freedom!" He quickly composed as Freddy sent him a harsh glare.

Foxy suddenly descended from his stage, strolling up to the rabbit with a look that resembled something similar to guilt. He swung his hook arm over the purple animatronic's shoulder in a friendly half-embrace, ignoring the soft growls of protest from the rabbit as he said: "Sorry me hearty, bu' I be replacin' ya. Ye're j'st no' tha best pirate. Ye still be 'o par' o' me crew though! Jus' no' me first mate." The words seemed to physically hurt the pirate, but he had to say them. He was a captain after all, and captains had to make tough decisions sometimes to save their crew. And just like the decision, he himself had to be tough in this, despite how difficult it was.

Bonnie on the other hand, was taking the information really well. He hated it when Foxy would make him play pirate, forcing him to dress up in ludicrous costumes that were much too small for him all while forcing him to talk in that stupid pirate accent... Ahoy, this! Yo-ho, that! It drove him nearly to the point of becoming the world's first mentally insane animatronic. To say his relief was minor would be an understatement.

After a short moment passed, Chica rolled her eyes at the scene. "All right, let's get back there before the night ends." she remarked. Freddy nodded in agreement.

"If we're all ready..." he said, trailing as he glanced at each of them.

Foxy was the first to pounce on the opportunity. "Let's be goin'!" He cheered, hook raised prominently in the air.

Before any of them could respond the fox had already began his charge down the hall, forcing the others to move hurriedly to catch up with him.

From his booth, Craig spotted not one, but all four animatronics racing down the hall toward him, the fox in the lead. "Shit!" He gasped, hand slamming the door button closed. The heavy metal door slammed shut with a solid thump, isolating him from the four menacing metal robots. He hadn't thought much of it when they ventured down the hall before, chalking it up as just their free-roam mode leading them here. But seeing them all together, running down the hall... they wanted to get to him!

This would've been nice to know when I applied! He thought rancorously. A red face glaring at him from the window caught his attention. It tapped its hook against the glass.

"Ahoy, lad!" He greeted. "Why don't ye be openin' tha door so we c'n git in?"

A large brown hand gently ushered the fox aside, permitting himself a view of the guard who looked utterly paralyzed from terror. Freddy spoke with practiced calm. "Hello, sir," he dipped his top hat in courteous greeting. "I see that you're afraid of us, but I assure you there's no need to be. Allow me to introduce myself—my name is Freddy Fazbear, and these," he gestured at the three animatronics behind him, "are my good friends, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy."

As the bear named each animatronic, they all smiled respectively in return, Bonnie giving a casual "hey!"

Now silence descended upon the scene, leaving the guard to stare awkwardly at the three expectant faces glaring at him. What is this? He thought, completely bewildered. Why were they trying to communicate with him like this? What is their game?

He continued to stare quizzically at the four animatronics until the yellow one—Chica, as Freddy had said—suddenly spoke up.

"You got a name, or what?" she asked, arms crossed impatiently.

The question brought him out of his thoughts. Sitting up he thought: Should I humor them? I mean there's no way they're going to persuade me to open that door... he paused, an idea forming in his mind. Perhaps playing their game could work to my advantage...

Outside in the hall, Chica scoffed, rolling her eyes as she declared, "Okay, he's broken. We—"

"Craig." A voice from within the booth said. All the animatronics shot him a glance. "My name's Craig." He repeated.

The silence that loomed in air was brief, being put to rest by a generous smile that formed across Freddy's face. "Craig." he said as if filing the name into his mind. "Well it's nice to meet you, Craig. I sincerely hope we haven't frightened you too badly. We are here to entertain! It is what we were constructed for. And even though our primary audience is mainly children, that doesn't mean the notion of entertainment cannot be extended unto adults as well. We can perform many functions!"

Craig analyzed the bear, noting the nuances of his speech. The animatronic sounded desperate, outwardly kind as if programming restricted him from acting any other way. Perhaps they really are harmless... like he said, they're programmed to entertain children after all. He stared into the eyes of Freddy for a moment longer, noticing the innocence behind them. He thought: This might just work. They seem pretty trusting. He smiled. And they're pretty close to the children.


Mike had never been on Death Row before, but if he was, he assumed this was probably what it felt like.

It was easy to assume Bonnie wouldn't be thrilled by the revelation of becoming a tour guide to an individual he resented, but to actually see his reaction; to see the indiscreet offended expression that bulged upon realization…it just made him feel all-the-more uncomfortable.

And even now, standing in the Dining Hall alone with the rabbit long after Freddy had left, he felt no more familiar with the animatronic.

Bonnie stood staring down at him with a firm scowl, features curved downward into a grim pout. He did not like this guard, from the very first moment he had noticed him through that window up to this very moment he had held a tense loathing of him.

I don't trust him, he thought. The way he keeps us away, like he's hiding something… He'll soon realize who's in control here. Wastes half the night making me show him around, will he? Expects me to treat him like a friend, does he?

Mike shifted awkwardly under the cold stare, "So…" he said, trying to break the tension, "there can't be much to see, this place being small and all…" he laughed nervously, hoping his attempt at idle chatter worked.

Bonnie narrowed a glare at him, "Why? What do you have to do?" he questioned accusatorily.

"Wha—nothing! Well, I technically have a job to do, but seeing as though this place isn't that big and I'm gonna be roaming around…" he fell silent at the unenthused look Bonnie was giving him. The rabbit crossed his arms.

"Are you done?" he asked.

Mike nodded silently, not wanting to further irritate the animatronic.

Bonnie turned smoothly on a heel to face the stage, not wasting a single moment as he began. "This is the Stage," he said, hand gesturing over to the little platform of aged, warping wood. "I'm sure you've already seen this."

"Kinda hard to miss." Mike commented.

Bonnie ignored him, already set on moving on. "Let's go." He said, heading now toward the opposite side of the dining room, just off to the left of the stage. There, he swung open a heavy black door with a sign that read, 'Employees Only'. Immediately the rabbit entered the dark room, navigating its parameters with confidence. Mike guessed it was some type of optical rigging that was similar to night vision… at least he hoped.

As he entered the room, Mike had to throw out his hands to get a feel of his surroundings. The first thing his hands came in contact with was soft like fabric yet firm like reinforced plastic. It also had an odd shape, too, curving inward and up.

"This is Backstage," Bonnie suddenly informed, sounding as if he was on the other side of the room. "Now I know you're not a child, but don't touch anything. The masks have very sharp parts that could severely cut you."

Mike nearly dislocated his shoulder from the speed with which he withdrew his hand from the object he now knew was a mask. He swallowed with a sudden realization of where he was—Backstage… where the suits he was supposed to be stuffed in were. A feeling of illness swept over him as the next thought arrived: Was all this just a ploy to get me back here to stuff me into a suit?

He felt his breath hitch, speeding up to match his heart's racing. The darkness was doing nothing to suppress his panic, only adding to it. This was it; he was going to die here! He was going to be grated into a suit and—

Brightness suddenly enveloped the room, causing the guard to shield his eyes. When his eyes adjusted and he lowered them, he was met with the amused stare of the purple rabbit from across the room.

"You're not scared are ya?" He asked teasingly.

Mike suddenly realized his cowering pose, straightened to correct himself. Chagrined, he avoided the question and countered with his own: "Why was it so dark in here?" He allowed his annoyance to slip through as he said this.

"Changing the subject, eh?" The rabbit shrugged. "There is no reason for the lights to be on back here. You should know this seeing that you're the guard."

Mike cursed under his breath. He was right; this place had enough power issues as it was. Adding these lights to the consumption list would drain it all the quicker. But… how did the animatronics know about the place's electrical operation? They were supposed to be entertainers, were they not?

Bonnie rolled his eyes at the guard's expression, "It's just lights; they turn on and off. Don't look so amazed." He remarked.

"You guys seem to know a lot for robots." He said suspiciously.

Bonnie narrowed his eyes into deadly slits. "I'm no robot." He informed firmly. "Robots can't think. I can. Don't mix that up again, got it?"

Mike threw his hands up, "Sorry, jeez! It's not every day I see a large metal bunny that can think."

"Well now you know." he said, not quite as heated as before. "And none of the others are robots either!"

Mike found himself impressed by the level of hatred with which the rabbit expressed the word: robots. I've never heard anyone say something with as much hatred as that! He must really despise robots! Thinking about it, he now found himself struggling to even say the word in his mind. Shit! Now he's gotten into my mind!

Opening his mouth, he prepared to question the rabbit but jumped when the door behind him was thrown open with a loud bang.

"Thar ye be!" A rough voice declared, relieved. The fox waited not a moment longer before striding into the room, disregarding the guard's nervous posture as he threw an arm over him. "I been lookin' over all tha Seven Seas fer ya, lad!" He cheered jostling the guard.

From across the room, Bonnie's eyes narrowed and he growled at the uninvited guest. "What are you doing here, Foxy? I'm trying to give a tour."

The pirate waved a dismissive hand at him, "Ah-h-h, the lad be no' needin' a tour!" he said, turning to the human. "Wha' ye be needin' is ta get a bearin' on treasure!"

Mike watched the pirate apprehensively as he swung his menacing hook haphazardly around. He had been lucky thus far, but it was only a matter of time before that hook would embed itself deep within his skin…

"Foxy," the rabbit began, curtly, "Freddy told me to do this. If you got a problem with it, go talk to him."

Foxy just shook his head sadly at the rabbit, speaking sideways to Mike. "Aye, he be th' saltiest matey I ever sailed with. Quite a shame, it be… say, have ye ever heard tha tale o' those ears? Why, they—"

"All right I've heard enough!" Bonnie declared abashedly, storming over and pulling Mike out of the room by the arm.

The guard winced at the tighter-than-necessary grip, pulling at the metal hand to try to escape. From behind, he could hear the indignant fox pipe up.

"Avast! No one be maroonin' Cap'n Foxy!" the sounds of clanking feet followed directly after, quickly catching up to them as they reached the hallway. "W'ere do ya think yer off ta?" he demanded, a sinister edge lacing his voice. Bonnie was having none of it.

"Foxy, we're not playing pirate, so quit getting in the way!"

Foxy looked outright offended, "Argh, belay that talk! Wha' could be bet'er th'n bein' a pirate?"

"Many things…" Bonnie mumbled.

Despite being trapped in the grasp of Bonnie, Mike couldn't help but find the scene interesting. Bonnie seems wary of the fox, but not enough to avoid arguing with him, even though he hadn't started it… It's as if he hates the fox but is too scared to just tell him to 'get lost'… But why!? Is there a bomb in him or something?

He continued to watch the scene unfold, Foxy now off in explaining to them the many wonders of being a pirate. One glance at Bonnie told him the rabbit was losing patience—no, he looked ready to tear out his metallic eyes from the frustration. And the hand around his wrist was tightening…

"Uh…" Mike said as he shifted uncomfortably to try to relieve the building stress on his arm. The stress amounted, becoming a denting impression in his skin. And it got tighter…tighter. Mike pressed his eyes closed tightly, praying that the grasp would lighten up before he'd end up shouting. But it didn't, getting tighter, tighter...

He couldn't take it anymore. Speaking quickly from the pain, Mike gasped, "Foxy, how 'bout you go bring us stuff so we can see it?"

Foxy seemed to lighten up instantly. "Great idea, lad! I be righ' back!"

The second he took off down the hall, Mike glanced up at the rabbit. "Uh, can you umm… let go of my arm, now?"

Bonnie seemed to snap back to reality upon hearing the guard and instantly obliged, watching him rub the spot that was obviously now in pain.

"Why did you do that?" he suddenly asked, voice full of interest.

Surprised by the question, Mike glanced up to stare at the tall animatronic. He felt a shrill of fear pass through him as he realized he was under the rabbit's full attention, their proximity much too close.

"Uh-h-h," he struggled for words. The rabbit was a delicate one it seemed, tending to overreact to the smallest of things. He had to word this just right: "I only have until six before my shift ends. And that's not long from now."

Bonnie stared at him for another moment, face unreadable. He's lying, he thought. He's afraid of Foxy, it's obvious by the way he looks at the fox... Freddy must have told him, then.

Without a single warning, the animatronic turned to face down the hall, said: "We don't have much left, so we might as well start now."

"Hold on, you're not gonna wait for him to get back?" the guard asked, gesturing over his shoulder to Pirate Cove.

The rabbit stared at him for a moment before huffing incredulously, "Was that a serious question?" he asked. And he thought: Is this kid stupid? He drives Foxy away and wants to wait for him to come back!? He must be purposely trying to annoy me! I should've know just by the way he questions me. It's no wonder I like children better.

He sighed, "Just follow me." he said.


It was around 5:40 that the animatronics all reconvened in the main dining hall. Mike and Bonnie were the last to arrive, wandering in from the west hall. The rabbit wore that firm sullen pout on his face that strikingly resembled exhaustion while Mike just followed silently; mind off in its own realm.

Foxy, standing just to the left of Freddy, sent the rabbit and guard a dirty look. "Ye be betrayin' yer oaths, maroonin' ol' Cap'n Foxy like ye did."

Mike avoided the fox's glare out of guilt. Just by the pirate's voice he could tell he was angry and it didn't help that it had been him who had lied to the vulpine. He mentally cursed at his weakness. This was a metal animatronic fox that had programmed emotions, there was no way he was truly feeling sadness, even though it felt completely real.

After a moment, Foxy let out a low growl. "I had enough o' this bilge!" He announced. "I goin' ta me Cove!" He stomped off childishly toward the velvet curtains, disappearing behind them with a tempestuous swish. The action was somewhat frightening to the guard, knowing the force those metal arms possessed. It wouldn't take much for an errant swing to strike an unsuspecting child... he tried swallowed in a suddenly dry throat, realizing that that could very well be the reason he was supposedly 'out-of-order'.

From beside him, Bonnie appeared unaffected by the fox's outburst and instead, focused directly on Freddy. "I've taken him everywhere. He's seen all there is to see." he informed, somewhat exasperated.

"Thank you, Bonnie." Freddy said, nodding once at the animatronic before turning to face the guard. "And what did you think?" He asked.

The question pulled Mike out of his thoughts, "Uh-h-h, it was pretty good," he lied. "Got to see Backstage and stuff so... yeah." He felt a nervous constricting in his chest; tense and anticipating the bear's response. He sincerely hoped the animatronic would buy it, sparing him from further awkwardness.

"I see," he said. He shifted to stare at Bonnie. "And what do you think of Mike?" He asked the rabbit. "Surely you've spent enough time with him to know him better by now."

Mike shifted awkwardly as Bonnie sent a glance his way. He had a pretty good idea of what the rabbit thought of him, and it was nothing close to pleasant. But for him to say it out loud—with all the others present to hear... he didn't think he could bear that stress.

The purple animatronic held his sidelong glare on the guard, processor whirring as a thought formulated. "It's too early to tell..." he said begrudgingly.

Mike nearly did a double-take at the bunny, not even bothering to conceal his shock. Chica seemed to share the sentiment...just not in the same way.

"Pfft, please!" She blurted boldly. "Don't try to spare his feelings!" She rolled her eyes when Freddy sent her a harsh glare, but still got the message. Bonnie on the other had, had a few things to say about that.

"I'm not 'sparing his feelings'," he said matter-of-factly. "I just don't know him well enough to make my opinion yet. I didn't even know his name until Freddy said it a minute ago!"

Chica looked unswayed, "You've spent more time with him than any of us," she pointed out. Bonnie gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"All right, what do you think of him, then?" he demanded, metal finger nearly poking the guard's right eye out as it pointed at him.

The chicken stared directly at Mike as she spoke. "He can't make pizza." she said flatly, no fear in her eyes as she admitted it to him. "And kinda wimpy when it comes to being around us."

Mike felt his face grow indignantly red, Bonnie's low chuckles not helping. He was no wimp! The animatronics had tried to kill him not a week ago, that would terrify anyone! It didn't make him a wimp!

But the biggest surprise of all came when Freddy spoke, saying, "It is true that you are a bit skittish around us, and I do hope we can work that out soon."

He just deadpanned, thinking: Thanks, Freddy...

Suddenly a digital beeping sound caught everyone's attention, drawing all eyes onto the black watch around his wrist.

"What's that?" Bonnie asked, curiously leaning in for a better look.

"It's my watch. And the beeping means my shift's over." The relief those words instilled was overbearing, and all the guard could think about now, was his nice, warm bed which was—most importantly—animatronic free. Freddy seemed to understand this as well.

He swept once final glance across the dining hall, satisfied with its tidiness. "All right," the bear announced, "We'd best get into position and let Mr. Schmidt go home. We'll see you tomorrow night, I presume?"

Tomorrow... that's right, he had to actually come back to this place.

As inevitable as it was Mike nodded. Despite whether or not he wanted to return, he knew he had no choice. He'd have to come back in order to keep his job.

Freddy permitted that warm smile he's so fashioned to, said: "Great! We'll see you tomorrow night then." He glanced at his two companions joining him silently on the stage. "Don't be rude." He berated softly, gesturing to Mike.

Both animatronics stared at the bear for a moment before exasperatedly turning back to the guard and mumbling in unenthusiastic voices, "See ya tomorrow." Chica even added an "I guess" at the end.

But despite that, their pitiful farewells weren't the least bit assuring. But the guard didn't care. His shift was over and it was finally time to go home and sleep.

Mike stepped outside to the red blossoming of dawn, felt the dew-laden tiredness on his eyelids. That had been the longest night he'd ever endured, and the thought of returning the next night to do it all over again made it almost dreadful. And on top of it all, he now felt cruddy for what he did to Foxy. He laughed: Look at me! Feeling sympathy for a metal fox... he does seem more complex than just that though. He pursed his lips in conflict, a small sigh escaping. Damn! Why am I so torn up about this?

Pondering for another moment, he clenched his teeth. "Fuck it!" he cursed, turning and walking back into the pizzeria. He had to deal with this now. Just a quick apology and then it would bother him no more. He shuffled over to Pirate Cove, "Foxy? It's Mike. Listen—" he stopped mid-sentence, eyes befalling the tall animatronic standing lifelessly in the center of the stage. For a brief moment he feared the fox was dead, but quickly remembered the time.

"Damn it, that's right!" He groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Well I guess I have no choice but to wait 'til tonight. Ugh, why do you guys have to power down at six!?" He chuckled darkly to himself as he realized what he had just said. A week ago, those words would have never entered his mind, even as a joke. Things had changed now, they change. Call him crazy, but as he continued to stare at the hunched form of the fox, he felt almost—sad.

You're just back here...all alone, huh? What did you do to scare the others so badly? You don't seem that scary...

He frowned at the unresponsive fox. Even though he knew it was pointless to make amends with the fox, he felt it was too important not to. There was so much mystery surrounding this place and its inhabitants and he was determined to figure it out. And with that he turned and left Pirate Cove, knowing exactly the first thing he was going to do when his next shift began.


A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry this took so long, life's been pretty busy. Anyway I'll try to keep this short: I seem to have time now, so chapters should come out more frequently. Also, regarding the story itself, expect more flashbacks and possibly flash-forwards in the future. I have a good idea how long this story will be, but it's too early to tell. Right now the plan is around twenty chapters, but we'll have to see. There's quite a lot of story to tell.

I'm really glad to hear that you guys like my portrayals of these characters! They're the most important part of writing to me, plot a very close second. So I hope the paths I take with these characters are interesting and that you all wind up liking them a lot more by the end of the story.