I had always suffered from anxiety and being shy when I was younger. Being in crowds didn't really ease my anxiety and my mom would tell me that she wanted me to act like a girl. Yes. Occasionally, I would get into boy things. Sports, power rangers and such. When I was a kid, I didn't really have much in the way of friends. So when my 8th birthday rolled around, my mom decided to take me to Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria.
It wasn't really a birthday party, more like a birthday dinner outing and honestly, I didn't mind. Once I walked in, bright lights and noise filled the room. I looked around and saw the animatronics on stage performing for kids. Freddy, the bear, was singing while Bonnie the bunny was playing guitar. Chica the chicken was also on stage singing. As I got closer to one of the eating booths, more and more noise arose. I winced and covered my ears. It was loud. Once we sat down, a waitress took our orders and left.
Freddy and the others finished their performance and they started to interact with the other kids. I was too shy to go and talk with them. My mom understood my shyness. So, after a few minutes, I noticed a sign that read:
Pirate's Cove
I poke my mom's arm and pointed to the sign.
"Can I go there?" I asked softly.
"Sure! Why don't we head over there together?" She asked me. I nodded meekly and held we hand as we walked over to the Pirate's Cove. I always did like pirates. I knew a few pirate songs on the violin and I could play them well. Once we got to the Cove, there were kids running everywhere. They were having fun. I glanced up at my mom, who smiled and gently guided me to the middle of the room. It had a stage with a purple raggedy curtain. Shouts of happiness made me flinch slightly. I frowned. I didn't have a playmate, which made playing anything very lonely.
"Why don't you go try the pirate ship?" My mom suggested softly to me. I stared at her as I shook my head. She reached out and stroked my cheek as she said
"I know you don't know anyone, honey. But maybe you can make some friends while we're here." I glanced around, trying to find someone to play with but saw no one who was also lonely. All of a sudden, a voice made me quickly turn around.
"Ahoy there!"
As I turned, a very tall animatronic fox stood in front of me. He had yellow-orangish eyes, a hook on one of his hands and an eye patch covering one of his eyes. A pirate hat rested on his head and he wore a pirate outfit. I stared at him with wide eyes. I grabbed my mom's hand in fear. The fox slowly bent down to get a better look at me and said
"Arr...it be alright, lass. I won' hurt ye. What be your name, lassie?" His teeth showed as he talked and that scared me a bit. I looked to my mom uncertainly. Who was this? I thought. My mom nodded, gently nudging me to say hi.
"M-my name is Emily." I said quietly.
"What a beautiful name fer a lass! Is this yer mother?" He asked. I nodded. Then my mom spoke.
"How are you doing, Foxy? I hope you're keeping out of trouble." She asked him with a smile. His name was Foxy? I looked between them in confusion. My mom knew Foxy? How? The fox chuckled in response before answering her.
"Aye! I've never been be'er! Last time I saw ye, ye were a wee one! Now, 'ere ye are, all grown up! And 'tis be yer daughter?" He asked as he looked back at me with a smile. My breathing started to quicken slightly. My anxiety was kicking in. I didn't really like being the center of attention for a long time.
"Yes. This is Emily. It's her birthday and, well, she wanted to come and see you. Em, why don't you say hi to Foxy?" Mom said to me. I looked back at Foxy and gave a small wave.
"Hi." I squeaked. He then carefully stared at me and asked with a worried and concerned look
"Well, Happy Birthday, lass! Argh...Are ye alright?" I froze, unsure how to answer. Trying to explain my anxiety was, for me, a bit hard. Thankfully, my mom answered for me.
"She has anxiety, Foxy. She's very shy and well..." she was unable to finish. Foxy seemed to understand though because he nodded in response and looked at me again.
"Ye got nothin' ta be worryin' about. Ye 'ave ol' Foxy to watch over ye." He said sincerely and opened up his arms to hug me. I was hesitant at first but finally hugged him back. His rusty red fur prickled against my skin.
"Aye, how would ye like ta be me first mate?" He asked me with a smile as he looked down at me. I turned to my mom, silently asking if it was ok. She nodded and reassured me it was ok. I nodded and followed Foxy to the pirate ship. We had fun playing pirates, sword fighting telling stories. Eventually Foxy began to ask me questions, like what my favorite color was and such.
3rd POV
As Emily left to go with Foxy, her mother went back to their table. Children were beginning to disperse more around the pizzeria and Freddy and the others were just mingling. She walked up to the animatronics and greeted them.
"Hi guys!"
Freddy was the first to recognize her.
"Lilian? Is that you?" He asked tentatively. The woman nodded and Freddy gave her a big hug. It had been years since she had seen the animatronics and now here she was. Hearing Freddy talk to an adult got Bonnie and Chica's attention.
"Lilian!" Bonnie practically tackled her while Chica almost crushed her into another hug.
"G-guys! Can't. Breathe!" Lilian exclaimed, making the two release her.
"Oops sorry."
"What are you doing here?" Freddy asked Lilian. Lilian looked to the Pirate Cove and Freddy followed her gaze, frowning. She came back to see him? Lilian shook her head.
"Well, I came back to see you guys, but also because of my daughter." At that moment, the three animatronics were hit with surprise. Lilian had a daughter? What did she look like? Was she nice? What was her name?
"C-can w-we meet her?" Bonnie asked stammering nervously. Lilian nodded.
"Sure! She's with Foxy right now. You can come with me while I go get her." With that, the woman made her way towards Foxy's domain with Freddy, Bonnie and Chica behind her.
Emily's POV
As I continued to play with Foxy, I heard my mom call my name and I went to her. Freddy, Chica and Bonnie were with her. They looked so tall compared to my 8 year old self. Sure, Foxy was taller than I was but the other three were huge! Foxy had followed me as I went to my mom. She picked me up and said
"Sweetie, these are my friends. " She pointed to Freddy, Chica and Bonnie and introduced me to them. I couldn't meet their gaze. Freddy smiled at me and waved.
"Guys, this is Emily." Mom introduced me to them.
"Hello, Emily." Freddy told me. I laid my head on mom's shoulder and looked away. I was a little scared of his size. He seemed so big and intimating. Plus, he was a bear animatronic. Freddy looked back at my mom with sadness. Mom sighed.
"Freddy, its ok. Em is just very shy and has anxiety. It's hard for her to make friends." she explained. The bear nodded in understanding.
"Hiya! I'm Bonnie!" The purple bunny spoke up and took a step forward. He had a red electric guitar swung around his back and his ears swayed back and forth as he moved. The yellow chicken, Chica, that stood next to him jabbed him in the ribs, glaring at him.
"OW!" Bonnie yelled.
"Shh! Not so loud! You'll scare her!" Chica scolded.
"Any louder, an' ye both be scarin' the poor lass!" Foxy muttered to them, giving them both a stern glare. I smiled at their jabbering and giggled. That made their heads turn and smile. I pointed to them and said
"You're funny!" My mom smiled at this and put me down on the ground. My confidence ever growing, I ran over to Bonnie.
"Hi! How old are you, squirt?" he asked as he bent down to get a good look at me. I held up eight fingers in response and his eyes widened in amazement.
"Wow! You're 8? You are growing very fast!" he exclaimed. I nodded and looked at his guitar. It looked so shiny. I went behind his back to look at it better. Bonnie twisted his head to the side and looked underneath his arms, confusion written all over him. My mom laughed.
"She likes your guitar, Bonnie. Em loves music. She has a violin back at home." she told him.
"I'm going to be a mu-mus-..." I struggled to form the right word, my face scrunched up I concentration. My mom helped me out.
"You want to be a musician when you grow up, don't you, sweetie?" she said. I nodded excitedly. I loved music and seeing Bonnie on stage playing only made my dream grow.
"I want to be a musician like you, Bonnie! And a singer like Freddie!" I exclaimed. Bonnie smiled at me and looked down at his guitar. He bent down and took it off, then gently handed it to me.
"Why don't you try it out?" he said. I must have a shocked look on my face. Bonnie wanted me to play on his guitar? But what if I broke it? He would get mad at me for breaking it. I shook my head. Bonnie's guitar was sacred to him. I didn't want to break it.
"It's alright." he reassured me. Hestitantly, I took it and tried to balance it on my knee, hopping on one leg. Everyone chuckled at my little dance. I wrapped my little hands around the neck of the instrument and strummed. I gasped. It sounded so cool! I looked at Bonnie and then my mom.
"I did it!" I exclaimed happily. Bonnie clapped.
"It's a little big on you though..." he trailed off thoughtfully but then his face lit up. Suddenly, he told me to wait where I was and he sped off, leaving me in confusion. Where was he going? Was he coming back?
"D-d-did I do so-something wrong? Where's he going?" I asked. Did I make him mad?
"No, sweetie. I think Bonnie is getting something for you." Chica told me with a grin. She then walked over to and started to talking to me. Chica was so nice to me. She loved to cook and she was very pretty. I quietly told her I liked cooking with my mom, especially making cupcakes. Chica was ecstatic in meeting me. She gave me a recipe for a special cupcake so I can make it at home. I thanked her for the gift and before I knew it, she gave me a heartfelt hug. I hugged her back. I liked Chica because she was like an older sister i wished I had. Suddenly, I heard Bonnie's voice again coming from behind me.
"I'm back! I have a present for you, Emily." I turned around saw that Bonnie was hiding something behind his back. What was it? He slowly brought out a small blue electric guitar and held it out to me. My eyes widened in awe at the sight and I ran to Bonnie, hugging him tightly. This made him stumble back a bit. He was surprised at first with my sudden affection, but he relaxed.
"Thank you, Bonnie! I love it!" I said to him. Bonnie wrapped his furry arms around me and embraced me.
"You're welcome, squirt. Happy Birthday." he let go and I accepted the guitar. I spun around and ran over to my mom, showing her the guitar and babbling about it. She laughed at my antics and smiled at me.
3rd POV
The four animatronics looked on at the happy little girl. Bonnie seemed content on his present to her and had a smug grin on his face. She was such a nice kid. They felt bad that she had a birthday without any friends. When Lilian told them Emily suffered from anxiety at such a young age and she was shy, they wanted Emily to feel welcome as much as possible. Although she was very shy at first and scared of Freddy, Chica and Bonnie, she eventually trusted them. What they couldn't figure out though, was how Foxy of all people could get the girl to trust him and play with him. When they asked him, Foxy said simply
"The lass be kinda like me. She be lonely and scared. Tweren't that hard ta see it in 'er eyes."
Silence followed as Emily began to show signs of tiredness. She yawned and rubbed her eyes to stay awake.
"Uh oh. I think somebody is getting tired." Lilian said teasingly. She bopped her daughter's nose and picked her up. Emily shook her head slowly.
"I'm not sleepy!" She exclaimed. But then she almost dropped her guitar as she practically nodded off. Thankfully, Bonnie caught it before it hit the ground.
"I think your mom is right, squirt." He said to her. The 8 year old only glared at him. Only, because she was sleepy, it look more cute than anything else.
"I'm not." She muttered. Bonnie chuckled. The little girl amused him with her antics. Foxy went over and ruffled her hair a bit with his actual hand.
"Me thinks that me first mate be wanderin' off ta dream land, lassie. No arguin' with Bonnie and yer mother." He told her playfully. Lilian shifted her body and adjusted her hold on Emily. Her friends seemed to love Emily, although Freddy seemed still put back that Emily didn't really bond with him. He looked sad. Chica then went over to him as gently put her hand on his shoulder.
"Alright, Em. I think we need to get you home." Lilian spoke up. She kissed Emily's forehead affectionately. Suddenly, Emily whipped her head up and shouted
"Wait!" the little girl then wriggled out of her mother's arms. She jumped to the floor and ran over to the bear animatronic. She looked up at him and then at her feet, which aimlessly kicked the floor.
"I'm sorry about before." She whispered to him. Freddy, who had been moping a little, was surprised by the sudden attention the girl gave him. Then, unexpectedly, she threw her arms around Freddy's waist. At first, he was unsure what to say or do but he then hugged her back, as much as to not hurt her.
"It's alright, little one. I'm sorry if I scared you." He replied. Emily then looked up at him with those big brown eyes and shook her head, as if to deny it.
"You just look SO big!" She explained a-matter-of-factly. Freddy chuckled at this, finally understanding why she was scared of him before. His height was intimidating but in truth, he was, well, a giant teddy bear. Freddy released the girl and looked at Lilian.
"It was great to see you again, Lilian. It gets a little lonely around here, especially with these guys." He said, jerking a thumb towards Bonnie, Chica and Foxy. Lilian laughed and said
"I get it. It was great seeing you guys. I'm happy Emily got to meet you too. It means a lot to me and especially her to have you guys to get to know her." Lilian trailed off. Bonnie rested a hand on her shoulder as her eyes watered slightly. Emily saw her mom almost crying and grew worried.
"I'm ok. I'm just very happy." Lilian reassured her daughter. Emily did not say anything else after that. By now, the restaurant had been eerily empty of people, leaving just the four animatronics and Lilian and Emily. So, it was then that Lilian had decided to start heading home. Emily, of course, was reluctant at first. She was very close on claiming to spend the night in Pirate's Cove with Foxy. But the red fox had told her that she should go home with her mother to keep her company. However, Foxy winked at the girl and muttered so Lilian couldn't hear
"Aye, but we be havin' a sleepover when ye come back another time, matey. Would ye like that?" Emily nodded vigorously and hugged him.
"Thank you Foxy, for playing with me!" she said to him. Foxy smiled at her and replied, tenderly hugged her back,
"Arr...Ye be the best first mate I be askin' for, lass. Thank ye."
Then, Emily went over to Chica and hugged her too. Bonnie was next. Emily did an air guitar movement with her hands before she glomped him.
"You're my music best friend now, Bonnie!" she proclaimed. The purple bunny slightly raised his eyebrows in question at his title but then smiled widely.
"And you're my little squirt, Emily." he said back as he hugged her tightly. As each animatronic was hugged goodbye, Freddy looked on, unaware that he wasn't forgotten by the brown-haired girl. Emily walked over slowly to where the bear stood and tugged on his arm gently. Freddy looked down and saw her. Emily reached her arms out to give a hug and to everyone's surprise, Freddy picked her up. They stared at each other before Freddy spoke up, saying
"Happy Birthday, Emily. I hope you had a great birthday. I'm sorry I couldn't get you anything." he said glumly. Emily frowned at this. But then, she smiled.
"You gave me the best gift I could ask for, silly!" she shouted. Three heads turned to the two with confusion. Only one knew what Emily meant by that.
"And what is that, my dear?" asked Freddy.
"Friends!" the eight year old exclaimed joyfully. Bonnie, Chica, Foxy and Freddy smiled, each with oily tears starting to roll down their cheeks. They were able to make a special little girl's birthday even more special. That day, they learned that merely just being their as a friend is the best gift anyone can ask for in life.