I was not expecting to already get some reviews, so I'd like to reply to them!
Luna Moon 12 Official: Hello, my friend! Welcome! :) I haven't given up on that story, just trying to remember the ideas I had lol. I'll try to update soon!
Anyway, I am so happy you like my new story! The idea to have her connected to Jeremy was something I thought about and wanted to explore, so I'm glad you like that idea!
Silverleone: Welcome! I'm glad you like my story! :D
Guest: Hello! I'd like to say thank you for your input! However, I am most comfortable writing in the first person, and I feel like it would be weird to switch points of view now. Sorry! I'm glad you like my story!
And there we go! :) Some awesome feedback! Also, if anyone has suggestions for scenes to get us from her starting at the Pizzaplex to the start of the game (which I think is a while after the Pizzaplex opens, if I'm not mistaken) I'd love to hear them! I've got some ideas, but am always open to hear what you guys want me to explore!
Anyway, I will let you guys read the chapter for now! Hope you like it!
God Bless and Good Day!
~The Lupine Sojourner
Here I go…
This place is freaking gigantic! What in the actual heck?!
Geez…and to think I work here now.
I take a deep breath and walk through the large automatic doors to find, like it said on the website, humanoid(ish. They had very simplistic facial features, hands, and rollers on the bottom half instead of legs) robots with sweepers, making rounds on the floor.
There are a few other people here, so I walk over.
"Hi." I introduce myself and they all pause.
"Oh, you must be Jemima. Good, good. We're all here now!" Mr. Terence calls, coming over and extending his hand.
"Thank you, Mr. Terence." I reply as we shake hands.
"Now, if I can have your attention for a moment, everyone!" Mr. Terence calls loudly. Everyone turns to him. "We're about to turn on the animatronics and begin testing, so if you would please follow me, we'll get started."
I swallow, my stomach churning a bit for some reason.
Why was I nervous?
Oh…right. The small notebook in my purse, with all the notes I have about Fazbear Entertainment and the shady things that have happened at their locations.
Mostly involving their animatronics going haywire and attacking people. Like Grandpa Jeremy.
Regardless, I have to see this through, so I walk along with everyone else and try not to overthink this.
"Now some of you may have heard of the nasty rumors about our old locations from the turn of the century." Mr. Terence calls in a very showy voice, and everyone turns toward him. "I want to lay those rumors to rest right now before we continue. These animatronics are equipped with the latest technology for safety and cooperation." Cooperation? That's an interesting word choice… "They are meant to interact fully with guests and staff and keep a record of everyone on site so if anyone is here that shouldn't be, that person can be reported and escorted out of the building safely. They have so many layers of safety programming, they will hardly ever touch you, unless you ask them or give them permission to. Now, let's get this show on the road, shall we?"
Swallowing back my nerves a bit, I finally get a look at the line of animatronics.
They were in some kind of canister with a lightning bolt painted on it. Chargers, obviously, but why make it a whole canister?
"These here canisters are recharge stations. As a safety measure, and because of their highly advanced AI and mechanics, these animatronics can't go longer than an hour without charging." Mr. Terence explains. "They are programmed to automatically return to a nearby recharge station at the top of the hour, so if you are in the middle of something involving them, they will have to leave immediately."
I tilt my head a little. Interesting…this seems a bit excessive, doesn't it?
"Alrighty then, let's start powering them on! They've been charging overnight, so for this initial test, we've given them a bit of extra power, so they should be roaming for an hour and a half before returning to the recharge station nearest their assigned locations or in their Rockstar Row greenrooms, which we'll see in person during our tour. But, for now, let's start with the band, since they'll need to run through a few showtime routines in addition to everything else."
And with that, the glowing inside four of the recharge stations stopped and then the doors popped open.
I take an involuntary step backward as the animatronics power on and leave the charging station.
They're so big! Why are they so big?!
True to the Fazbear Entertainment style, there was a bear, a chicken, a fox (or wolf) and a bunny.
They blink a few times, and then there was a light shining out of their eyes, seeming to scan us.
"Hello there." The bear greets as the others just…stand there.
Is it my imagination, or is the bunny staring at me in particular? Either way, it's a bit spooky.
"Alright, now these guys are what we call the Glamrock animatronics. They're going to be the primary mascots for this location. Gang, go ahead and introduce yourselves!" Mr. Terence calls, and the animatronics line up.
"I'm Freddy Zazbear, the lead singer of our band!" The bear begins. "It's great to meet all of you!"
Of course he's still named Freddy. He's been Freddy since the company opened all those years ago.
"I'm Bonnie the Bunny, and I'm the bass player!" Sure enough, Mr. Terence hands the bunny a large bass guitar and the bunny smiles at him. "Thanks!"
So they're just keeping the names these characters have had all these years? Guess that makes sense. Some people still love these characters.
"I'm Chica, the other guitarist and backup singer!" The chicken calls. "I also love to eat!"
I blink. Eat? Robots can eat now?
"And I'm Roxanne Wolf, the best Keytar player you'll ever see!" So it wasn't a fox, then. Where's Foxy?
He should be here…right?
"Thank you very much, Glamrocks. Now, why don't you begin your practice showtime routines while I start the tour?" Mr. Terence asks and the animatronics nod.
"Of course, Mr. Terence." Freddy says and the band leaves, but before they do, I swear Bonnie was looking at me again.
Mr. Terence clears his throat as the other canisters open and out steps more animatronics.
One was a sun-themed man with a jester-style outfit, complete with bells on his wrists and a small ruffle around his neck. He looks a little unsettling if I'm being honest…
The next one to catch my eye is a freaking alligator. An alligator! What the heck?!
The next one- -Oh, so they do have Foxy! That's awesome! He looks even more like a pirate now, without all the tears in his outer fur and an actual outfit instead of just pants. He has his classic eyepatch, his hook, a pirate hat with a feather, brown pants as usual, loose white shirt, and a long black coat to complete the look. I even see a prop buckler and pistol at his sides.
Would it be weird if I say hi?
"Now that you're all out, these are Sundrop, Montgomery Gator, and Foxy." Mr. Terence informs us as the animatronics finish powering up. "Sundrop is the Daycare Attendant." The sun guy is going to be taking care of kids?! What the heck?! "Montgomery here is in charge of Gator Golf, which we'll see in a moment, and Foxy is taking care of kids in Kids' Cove, a pirate-themed play area for parents who don't need or want to put their kids in the daycare." Yeah, I'd feel more comfortable letting my child be around Foxy than that sun thing. I don't know why, but he creeps me out a bit.
The animatronics stare at us, scanning us like the others did, then seem to be waiting to be told what to do.
Mr. Terence just starts walking. "We'll drop off the animatronics as we visit each of their locations." Is the explanation we get.
Oh, great. We're gonna be with these guys for a while.
"Oh my, this place is big! And so many new friends!" The sun animatronic says, clapping happily. "Oh, this is so exciting!" Sundrop was his name, right? His eyes do the same glowing/scanning thing the Glamrocks did. Did that mean he was trying to map the area and scan us for our names? "We'll have so much fun, I just know it!" Oh boy…he's the overly cheery, naive type.
Those kids are gonna walk all over him…
"Indeed, Sundrop. The kids will love you!" Mr. Terence assures him.
"Kids? Oh, I love kids! Where are they?" Sundrop replies eagerly, wriggling a little as he looks around.
"They'll be here soon." Mr. Terence explains. "Today is all about learning the layout of the building and familiarizing yourself with the daycare so you understand where the children can and cannot go, so they stay safe, ok?"
"Oh, fantastic!" Sundrop claps and literally skips along. I swallow. Why do I get the feeling he's not gonna be the most popular animatronic? "When will the children come?" He presses.
"Well, in a few days. We're going to be running some tests tomorrow, then when we see you're ready and everyone has cleared their tests, we'll be able to open the Pizzaplex! Which means hopefully by Wednesday if all goes well!"
Wednesday? That seems a bit ambitious…I mean, I'm no expert on robotics, but I feel like they need more than two days of testing to make sure nothing's wrong before the public gets involved…right?
Not to mention…who opens a building on a random Wednesday?
"Oh, goody! I can't wait to meet them! Oh, I will need puppets and glitter glue! And googly eyes!" The robot rambles about art supplies and all the things he could do with the kids he'd eventually be responsible for. "There's so much to do to be ready"!
"Hey, Sundrop, why don't you wait and see if you have art supplies already at the daycare before you make any shopping lists, ok?" I call, unsure what made me do it.
The robot turns to me, scoops me up under my arms like a kid, and swings me around a few times before I could process he'd moved. He's fast!
"Oh, marvelous idea, friend! I take it you'll be working with me?" He asks, holding me easily at his eye level, which is a few feet at least higher than my normal height.
"Uh, not quite, but I might be able to visit sometimes." Shit. Why was I volunteering to visit this unsettling robot?
"That sounds wonderful, Ms. Fitzgerald!" He replies.
"Jemima is fine, Sundrop."
"Ooh!" Did he just…giggle like a kid? "Then you should call me Sunny!" I can't help a smile. Maybe this robot wasn't so bad after all. He's still a bit unsettling, but at least he was friendly.
What was that about the animatronics not touching us or picking us up?
"Sure." I wriggle a bit. "C-can you put me down now?" I ask sheepishly.
He puts me down surprisingly gently, and he seems troubled, fidgeting with his fingers. "Did I make you uncomfortable, Jemima? I am so sorry." He seems to mean it…I shake off my nerves a bit and smile up at him.
"No, no, it's ok, Sunny, really. It just…caught me off guard. That's all." I chuckle, patting his arm.
"I'm so glad to hear that!"
"Can we continue?" Mr. Terence asks, a teasing smile on his face.
"Yes, sir. Sorry." I reply, embarrassed. Why did I have to attract the attention of that robot? Why did I have to talk to it?
"It's alright, Jemima, I promise. Ok, let's keep moving. We've got a lot of ground to cover." Mr. Terence replies easily, moving along like nothing had happened, but murmurs circled our group.
We continue walking in relative silence, and I notice Sundrop glancing at me every once in a while.
I shudder subtly.
I hope I don't have to see too much of him.
"When are we gonna see this golf place I'm supposed to run?" The gator asks grumpily, making me jump. Why was his voice so deep?!
The humans in our group murmur among themselves, seeming as startled as I was.
"We'll run by there after the Daycare, I promise." Mr. Terence replies.
The gator huffs and crosses his arms.
Is it possible for an animatronic to have anger issues? Seems like this guy has a temper…
However, we reach the Daycare with no further incident. "This is where I'll be staying?" Sundrop asks excitedly, walking into the daycare and swiveling his head a full 360 degrees like it was perfectly normal. Why did he have to do that? It'd be great for keeping an eye on a large group of kids, but…it was so creepy!
"Of course." Mr. Terence turns to us. "We'll let Sundrop get familiar with his new place. That ok, Sundrop? Mapping the daycare won't take long, right? You can finish mapping the rest of the building when you're done!"
I frown. Is it just me, or is Mr. Terence trying to get rid of Sundrop for some reason?
"Sounds lovely, Mr. Terence!" Sundrop replies. "I'm so excited!" And off he goes, eagerly wandering the vast play area and chatting to himself.
We leave him to it, the group once again muttering. Mostly negative comments about Sundrop's appearance and how the daycare won't be popular. For Sundrop's sake, I hope the daycare goes well.
Mr. Terence clears his throat and he seems serious, so I turn.
"Now, there isn't any reason to worry, but Sundrop has a…shall we say…alternate side?"
"What?"
I hear the group having a similar reaction.
"Now, now, let me finish." Mr. Terence says, chuckling and gesturing for us to settle down. "I know that sounds bad, but here's the long and short of it; at night, Sundrop changes to Moondrop, a prototype security animatronic to patrol the daycare and surrounding areas after hours, so hardly any of you will ever see him unless you're on night guard shift. But, rest assured, you are not in any danger. If you see Moondrop, you are registered as an employee so he will not engage much with you beyond telling you anything he feels you might need to know. Trust me, the safety protocols on all of our robots are top-notch!"
"Sir, how will this Moondrop animatronic respond to, let's say, an intruder?" I ask. It was about time to start asking questions instead of internalizing them.
"He will contact the guards and authorities and detain the intruder until someone arrives, be it the police or the nighttime guards."
"Detain how?" I press.
"Worst case scenario, he will have to restrain them himself, but his initial response is to bring the intruder to the nearest security room and lock the intruder inside until the guards or police arrive and take the intruder into custody. Above all, these animatronics are not programmed to hurt anyone, not even intruders if it can be helped."
Fascinating…and creepy. I hope I never have to meet Moondrop.
"Thank you, Mr. Terence." I mumble to let him know I was through with my questions before we continue.
"Oh, there is one more thing. If you ever have to turn the lights in the daycare off for any reason, wait til Sundrop is recharging. Darkness activates Moondrop. We have a special dim light setting for the daycare's naptime so the kids can sleep, but Moondrop doesn't come out unexpectedly. He may frighten the children, as he is programmed primarily as a security robot for after hours."
I gulp. What the hell was this place?
No one seems super comfortable with the idea, and one employee says she regrets applying for the daycare.
Mr. Terence walks on like he hadn't just dropped a bombshell, so we all have to catch up.
"Ok, here we are at Monty Golf!" Mr. Terence calls a few minutes of murmuring and walking later.
"There's not some freaky flipside to every animatronic, is there?" One of my coworkers quips, shuddering a little.
"I doubt it. Too big a programming job." I reply quietly and the guy laughs and nods at me as Mr. Terence points out the golf club rental area, the gift shop, and the security office.
"Our goal is to have only one guard for each security office during the day, and then drop it to two guards in the building on night shift. This place has state-of-the art surveillance and security measures, so there shouldn't be a need for more than a few patrols to ensure everything is running smoothly during our night time shift. If you feel like you cannot meet the requirements of a night guard, please inform us and we can move you and find a replacement. Don't be shy about feedback, either!" By now, we've left Montgomery Gator to map his area and explore, so there was only Foxy following us.
I ended up walking next to him, strangely enough.
I struggle whether or not to say anything like I did with Sundrop, going back and forth. Foxes have always been one of my favorite animals…ugh why is this hard?!
"Something to say, lassie?" Foxy asks, his voice like I remember from the few times I saw any commercials or happened to catch a minute or two of the Fazbear and Friends show before Mom or Dad saw what I was watching.
"O-oh! Just that I like your outfit." I murmur, not wanting to make another scene. Everyone is chatting as we walk toward Kid's Cove.
"Why thank yeh, Ms. Fitzgerald. I see you registered as the captain of the mess hall. That true?"
I chuckle. His way of talking was classic corny pirate. What's not to like? "I'll be working at a food stall, yeah. I mean, one of the small restaurants. I think the one over there, near that Bonnie Bowl place."
"Aye, I see it. Well, I'm sure yeh'll fit right in, my dear."
I smile. "Thanks." We arrive at Kid's Cove, cutting Foxy and I's conversation short.
"I think this ship will suit me quite nicely." Foxy muses, eye scanning the area, glowing like it did when he scanned us. It only takes him a few minutes to scan everything.
It was a pretty small area, all things considered, so I'm not surprised it doesn't take him long to map it.
By the time we are back in the main area (Mr. Terence calls it the Atrium), the Glamrock band are about done with their performance.
A maintenance worker (his tag says Parts and Service) walks up to us, handing a checklist to Mr. Terence. "They did great! Ran through two showtime sessions and a birthday party sequence with Freddy presenting a fake cake and there weren't any problems with any of them!" Other Parts and Service people hand Mr. Terence checklists for each Glamrock animatronic.
"Excellent, excellent." Mr. Terence praises. Before anyone knows it, the animatronics themselves are heading down to us.
"Did you all catch our show?" Freddy asks, smiling.
"We're doing a tour, but we did record those sessions. I'm sure it was quite the performance!" Mr. Terence replies before anyone else can.
I happen to be a bit off to the side of our group, not really paying much attention, trying to quiet my subtle nerves at seeing these giant animatronics in person again.
They didn't seem capable of violence at all, but the notebook in my purse reminds me looks aren't everything.
A large, velvety hand on my shoulder startles me and I whirl to see Bonnie looking down at me, his irises glowing a soft purple. He blinks.
"Oh, dear. I didn't mean to startle you." His voice is very pleasant, like an uncle or something. Someone you could trust. "I just happened to see you're the only one with an elevated heart rate and nervous body language. Are you…scared of us, Ms. Fitzgerald?"
I take a step back. Great. Now I'm in the spotlight again.
I lick my lips. "N-no. At least, I'm getting used to you guys. It's just that, um, this is my first time seeing such large animatronics so close." I explain. "But you guys seem super nice, which helps a lot."
Bonnie smiles wide. "That's good to hear. We hope to become your friends, just like the guests that will be here soon!"
Everyone was quiet, watching me interact with Bonnie, which did nothing to calm me down.
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing this place up and running." I smile up at him, hoping this conversation wouldn't last long.
"Me, too! Now, I see you'll be working near me in Bonnie Bowl, that right?"
"Um, yeah. That was one of the places that had an opening, so…"
"That's wonderful! I hope to see you sometimes, Ms. Fitzgerald!"
This bunny was harmless. Hell, he's even wearing a bowling shirt! I take a breath and feel myself relax a little. "If I have time, yeah."
With that, Bonnie seems to be through with talking to me and moves on.
Was the only reason he wanted to talk to me because I was the only one that was scared, even a little?
That's…that's really sweet.
"I am sorry I didn't see your distress at first, Ms. Fitzgerald." Freddy says, and Chica and Roxanne agree.
"Oh, no, it's fine, guys, really. Like I said, I'm getting used to you quickly. I'm just not used to big animatronics yet. That's all. I'm ok."
"Oooh, you should see one of our shows sometime! That'll help you feel more comfortable, for sure!" Chica suggests eagerly.
"Oh, yeah! I wish I could have seen the practice shows today." I reply. Why were all the robots focused on me?
"Alright, guys, let's refocus. We've got a tour to finish and you Glamrocks have the building to map. Let's get on schedule, alright?" Mr. Terence calls. Thank goodness!
"Oh, certainly, Mr. Terence." Freddy replies. He seems like a people pleaser…oh dear. Do all these animatronics have personalities that give them issues? Freddy turns back to me, surprisingly. "Sorry if we overwhelmed you, Ms. Fitzgerald."
I shrug. "Oh, it's ok. And you guys can all call me Jemima, if you want. Ms. Fitzgerald makes it sound like I'm old." I wink at him, and Freddy smiles, his eyes flickering for a moment as he registers what to call me, I'm guessing.
"Oohh, we could all have nicknames!" Chica (pardon the pun) chirps, clapping her hands excitedly. "...although, I guess it would be hard to come up with a nickname for Chica."
"That's a good idea!" Freddy reassures her. "My name already sounds like a nickname, but we could call Roxanne 'Roxy', and perhaps Bonnie's nickname can be Bon-Bon."
I feel a chill down my spine. It had taken a lot of research, but Bon-Bon was the name of a puppet version of Bonnie that was at this weird underground place called Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rentals. Bon-Bon was literally a version of Freddy's right-hand man.
But…how could this Freddy know that nickname? Did he know it's origins? Or was I overthinking and Bon-Bon is just a nickname?
Either way, I try to keep calm. I don't want another scene.
"Hmmm, if you want to call me Bon-Bon, that'd be fine, I suppose. No harm in it, right?" Bonnie replies happily. "What about the employees? We could have nicknames for them, too!"
We're walking and exploring together, Mr. Terence letting us take in the sights by ourselves for once.
I laugh. "Oh? And what would my nickname be, Bon-Bon?" It felt weird to use that nickname, but it made Bonnie chuckle, so I guess it's not so bad.
"Hmmm…Carrots!"
I blink a few times. "How'd you come up with that one?" I ask, only realizing the answer once I'd asked the question.
"Your red hair, Jemima." Bonnie replies, his hand gesturing to my hair, cut short to halfway between my chin and my shoulder and layered, the curls making my hair look a bit wild.
I laugh. "Well that's original." I tease. "I guess there's not many nicknames for Jemima, though, huh?"
"None that sounded right for you." Bonnie replies.
"I don't mind it if you don't mind Bon-Bon." I was trying to see how Bonnie reacted to the nickname, but he doesn't give anything away if he recognizes it from that other place.
Of course he wouldn't, Jemima! That was an entirely different animatronic! How would these animatronics even know about Circus Baby's rental place?
So I was just overthinking things…yeah. Yeah That's it.
The rest of my shift is spent touring and filling out forms, like normal.
I kept thinking about the animatronics, though.
They'd all wanted to comfort me when I was feeling a little scared. They weren't scary at all once I'd met them.
Suddenly working here doesn't seem so intimidating…