Hello once again, dear reader. I apologize for the tardiness of this, even with the early warning. I'd like to thank everyone who decided to give this humble fic a chance at being read, and I truly hope you found it worth your time. To those who hit like and/or favorite and possibly referred this fic to friends, thank you as well. I'd also like to thank the silent readers, those who faithfully come back time and again, for their quiet support.
Now let's see if we can defy that saying, Qwerty1020.
Author Note: This one is a doozy. The chapter goes back and forth between real time and a flashback. Please try not to get lost, and take breaks if necessary. It's a pretty long chapter.
Part II
Four Pictures
Chapter IV
The One that Believed in Happy Endings
"Well we've still got some time to kill." The Night Bird said as he looked at the wall clock set high above the wall opposite the stage. They were smack in the middle of the dining hall, sitting in a tight circle among the chairs that have been pushed away to make room. Bonnie and the other animatronics sat on the floor, while Night Bird took one of the stools for himself. He sat about a head above them.
"Yarr, 'nother story then?" Foxy proposed.
"No, I don't think we have enough time for that Foxy." Night Bird shook his head. "There's not much time to do anything, actually."
"Too much time to do nothing, either." Freddy said.
"Hm," Night Bird took off his cap and scratched his head. He looked at each of them in turn counter-clockwise. First Bonnie, then Foxy, Freddy, and finally Chica.
"What now?" Bonnie pressed impatiently.
"Alright." Night Bird replaced his hat firmly on his head with both hands and glanced at the wall clock one more time. Bonnie's ears perked up as he and the other animatronics leaned closer. Night Bird adjusted his position and sat at the edge of his seat. "We'll do it this way."
"Hahhahhahhahhahh~!"
Bonnie heard the cue. That was Freddy's laugh, the first of what will be six tonight. Bonnie watched the depowered camera as he walked out of the doors to the supply closet. He turned right and walked down the west corridor, ignoring the door to the security office. Upon reaching the end of the hallway he turned around and faced the way he came in, just as Freddy instructed. On the earlier nights, Freddy had given him and Chica free reign to move however they wanted so long as it was within the rules of their new game. Their goal was to scare the night guard. They haven't been doing too well, even after Foxy had started helping out. Of course, the fact that they were still playing the game this far into the week meant they had done enough for Freddy to come into play. And boy was the guard in for a night.
Bonnie stayed still in the corner where he stood, but let his eyes wander toward the open door up the hall to his right. There was a yellow glow of an incandescent bulb inside, and he saw a fainter white light flickering on and off. The night guard was looking through the cameras now, he figured, and was trying to find out where they had all moved. Bonnie heard a soft whir from above the doors as one of the cameras placed there came to life. His head still facing forward, Bonnie looked at the lens in time just before the red indicator light turned on.
"One midnight, you wake up to find yourself in a cave." Night Bird gestured with his hands as he began. No sooner had he spoken, the room became dark and the air became stale and stifling. Bonnie watched as the chairs and tables melted into the now cold and damp floor, and the walls of the wide open dining room turned to jagged grey slabs.
"You look around and see all five of us together inside." Night Bird continued. A sense of relative comfort calmed Bonnie, at least he wasn't alone. "But we find a small tunnel leading out. It was only enough for one of us to pass at a time-"
"Aye, we crawl to safety then." Foxy interjected, offering the direct solution.
"Not quite."
"Why?" Freddy asked.
"Because the moment one person uses the tunnel going out, the cave will collapse on everyone left behind." All the animatronics were taken aback in shock at Night Bird's reply. Foxy's eye patch turned up, Chica's eyes flew wide open, and Bonnie's ears twitched.
"So how do we all get out?" Freddy's eyebrows furrowed. He was the first to recover and react.
"We don't." Night Bird said flatly. "At least not all of us."
"I… I don't think I like this story." Chica said cautiously, as if ashamed that she was speaking out at all.
"Oh no. No no no," Night Bird's concern was evident as he reached out and touched Chica's shoulder to his left. He gripped it reassuringly. "There's going to be a happy ending. There's always going to be a happy ending, I promise."
"So… what happens next?" The promise gave Bonnie some courage to ask.
"You decide." Night Bird smiled, patting Chica's shoulder twice before withdrawing his hand and looking over his audience. "If each one of you was to choose who gets to use the tunnel and get out, who would it be?"
"Me." Bonnie replied promptly, stating the first thing to come to mind.
"Why?" Night Bird turned to him as he asked. Bonnie didn't expect the second question, and didn't see the point why it needed to be asked. He blinked and answered matter-of-factly.
"Because I want to be the one who gets out."
"Hahhahhahhahhahh~!"
That's two. The indicator light on the camera that was watching Bonnie died out and the device itself drooped back down. Bonnie walked toward the office door, right under the cameras' blind spots. From there Bonnie peered into the room, making out the night guard's face in the dim yellow light. Bonnie did not recognize him, of course. Only Chica could remember faces reliably. But she had already told them on the first night that it was indeed not the guard they wanted. They'll have to get rid of him, so they can get a new one next week. Perhaps they'll even get the Night Bird back.
Bonnie consciously stifled a laugh. Just the thought of finally receiving the fruits of their labor filled him with an electrifying joy. Ah, what a wonderful night!
Bonnie took a moment to think about how fortunate he was. How fortunate they all were. They had found a purpose to spend their nights, and it was all thanks to Freddy. Bonnie shuddered to imagine how things would be like if Freddy had not been with them.
Because while Bonnie, Chica and Foxy were stuck wondering why the Night Bird left, Freddy found out how he would return. By ignoring the obvious question and providing an answer to one that would never have been normally asked, Freddy had rendered the former pointless. Any praise Bonnie could lay on Freddy could never be enough. While the rest of them play within the rules of their new game, Freddy plays an even greater game of his own. He maintains illusions, nests deception behind deception, and spreads conflicting rumors, everywhere from malfunctioning robots to vengeful haunting spirits. Everything the bear does and asks to be done contributes toward making the pizzeria as scary as possible for the night guard that comes at midnight. Everything was an act, and they were the performers. And years of experience on the stage have made them very good performers, indeed.
Long ago Bonnie used to think Freddy was much too hung up on his 'rules', but now he could see how only the bear could have possibly to come up with what he discovered. After having heard it the first time there were absolutely no objections from any of them, only a stunned silence. Everything that they either didn't notice or found strange suddenly came together and made perfect sense. There were indeed rules beyond the ones they knew or have been told, and Freddy had figured enough to make out what they were.
The first thing Freddy noticed was that children would sometimes return to the pizzeria, a modest observation that Bonnie would have undoubtedly ignored. Freddy conferred with Chica and confirmed that the behavior was also present for guards before Night Bird. They frequently changed but would always cycle back. Sometimes a guard would come back after another does one cycle and sometimes there were more guards that cycle before the first one comes back. This was the first of two important keys that Freddy revealed, that there were night guards that had to come and go before Night Bird could come back.
The second key was something the Night Bird had already given them. Every now and then, during the nights they played their game, Night Bird would dispense advice to them and sometimes even train them to better be able to ambush, find, and scare him. The games, Freddy realized, were more than just for fun or enjoyment; they were being trained to frighten night guards. They now had a way to accelerate the process of night guards coming and going. Everyone, especially Freddy, had become so good at their game that none of the night guards that came after Night Bird ever came back after leaving.
And the one Bonnie was looking at now would be no exception. He considered coming into the room right then. The rules basically demanded for that, if the night guard leaves the door open until next turn. But Freddy had earlier told Bonnie that he wouldn't – or rather, couldn't – go in until later. The bear didn't bother saying why. Perhaps the calculations Freddy made were too complex to explain to them. Bonnie saw the faint glow of the buttons by the doorway at the opposite side of the room and entertained the distant thought of Freddy being wrong for once. While the night guard was flipping through his little monitoring device, Bonnie began working on the switch on his own side of the room. Destroying was much more difficult than fixing, and he would need a precious few minutes to work. He felt out the circuits that ran up the wall to the light just outside the doorway above him, and the circuits that connected to the mechanisms that kept the door open. But as he focused on disabling the connections, the night guard suddenly put down his monitor.
Bonnie didn't know if he made a sound that gave him away, or if the night guard had simply noticed him missing from the camera feeds. The white door light flicked on briefly before the pneumatic doors came down in front of him with a loud thump.
Of course Freddy was right.
"Self preservation, that's good." Night Bird nodded at Bonnie's explanation. He then turned to Freddy. "And what about you, Freddy? Who do you think should get out?"
"Muh- erm…" Freddy looked down and fidgeted with his bow tie for a while before looking up and asking. "Can I choose Foxy?"
Foxy's ears twitched slightly when his name was mentioned. Night Bird cocked his head to a side. "Yes of course. But why Foxy?"
"Because… because the children will be sad without him."
"Hyar har har!" At that, Foxy laughed heartily and slung an arm over Freddy's neck.
Night Bird chuckled. "Heheh, and I suppose the captain's going to be choosing Freddy back?"
"Aye lad," Foxy patted Freddy's chest with his good hand for emphasis. "I'll be choosing to save this salty sea bear right 'ere."
"And why's that?"
"Same reasons lad, for the children." Foxy pulled Freddy closer with his right arm and pinched Freddy's nose with his left hand, causing a squeak to come out and Freddy to laugh. "And because he's my best mate!"
"Hahhahhahhahhahh~!"
Three. As he walked back up the corridor, Bonnie thought about Freddy and Foxy. What the latter said back then was true. The friendship between the two was much deeper than with either him or Chica. That's not to say Bonnie and Chica were any less loved, of course, it's just that…
Bonnie stopped for a moment as he reached the entrance to the dining area. Through the port holes on the double doors to Pirate's Cove, he could see Foxy popping his head out of the curtains. He gave him a small wave, and Foxy nodded back in acknowledgment. Bonnie received a telegraph. Get on position lad, Freddy's about to let the cameras go again.
On my way. Bonnie pinged back as he resumed walking. He took up position at the center of the room, facing the stage.
Freddy and Foxy's close friendship brought them both great joy. Freddy was always the first Foxy came to if he wanted to pull pranks on Night Bird, though both Chica and Bonnie were often in on it. Foxy could always count on Freddy to set up an elaborate fright.
But it was despite this close friendship… no. It was because of their close friendship that Freddy did not immediately tell them of an important detail he had found.
Bonnie recalled earlier this evening before midnight when they were all in discussion about the current night guard. So far in the week, they had managed to somewhat unnerve him, but he seems much more capable and much less frightened than the others. Chica was worried that they might not be able to scare him away. It was a valid concern, of course; Chica would never mean to undermine what Freddy could yet do with his methodical setups.
"Aye, can we kill the night guard then?" Bonnie remembered Foxy saying bluntly. There was a silence as what he said sinked in for both Bonnie and Chica, particularly because of how his incidents were often triggered by the memory of Freddy fulfilling the Night Bird's final wish. After a while Freddy spoke and revealed that there was actually a third key to his newfound knowledge but was afraid of what Foxy would say, and that he was sorry he kept it for himself for so long.
It had always bothered them that Night Bird asked Freddy to kill him, why he didn't simply leave instead. Freddy linked that, along with the Night Bird telling Foxy that he did nothing wrong when he attacked an unwanted intruder, to find the secret third key. Through those actions, Night Bird taught them that even if they did their best not all night guards will leave on their own. Those that stay despite the animatronics doing their best to scare them away should, as Foxy said, be killed.
There was a pause after Freddy had finished, and Bonnie realized why the bear had second thoughts about revealing this information to Foxy; that he might dismiss it as Freddy trying to justify what he had done to Night Bird and that it might trigger an incident.
Before Bonnie or Chica could react, Foxy had already lunged at Freddy. But instead of a terrifying roar of an attack, there was only a relieved and joyous laughter. Foxy had embraced his best friend closely as he spoke. "Yarr, I was wrong! I was wrong and ye were right! Ye were always right, Freddy!"
"No." As Chica and Bonnie stood in stunned silence, Freddy reciprocated the gesture on Foxy and spoke. "We were both wrong."
Shh-thunk! The distant sound of a closing door signaled that the guard had just shut out Chica in the other hallway. Despite their failings so far, Bonnie felt that he had too much to celebrate to be saddened. He looked at the cords trailing behind the speakers on stage and followed them to sense out the control board. With a blink of an eye, he remotely turned it on, and the dining room was filled with music.
"Silly Foxy," Freddy laughed as he squirmed out of Foxy's arm over his shoulder. "If you chose yourself you might have gotten out."
Is that how this worked? Is the person most often chosen going to be the one who gets out of the cave safely? That seemed to make sense to Bonnie, and if anyone could see through riddles it might as well be Freddy.
"All right you two." Night Bird raised a hand as Foxy and Freddy settled down. He then turned to the last animatronic. "What about you, Chica? Who do you think should get to leave?"
Chica averted eye contact from Night Bird, and looked in Bonnie's direction for a moment before glancing toward Freddy and Foxy uneasily. She turned back toward the storyteller. "Night Bird."
"Yes, what is it?"
"No." Chica shook her head. "I choose you to go."
"Oh," Night Bird realized he had misunderstood her the first time. "Thank you Chica. But why me?"
There was an awkward silence as Chica's eyes darted around the room, as if unsure of what to say. Night Bird helped her along. "Because it feels right?"
Chica nodded and smiled. That was exactly how she felt.
"Hahhahhahhahhahh~!"
That was the fourth. As Bonnie turned the music off and began to walk back to the end of his corridor, he thought about his friend who was shut out in the other hallway. Out of all of them, Chica loved Night Bird the most. Bonnie recalled how happy she became every night the Night Bird came to the Pizzeria. She always wanted to be the one to catch him during their games, and Freddy would often oblige and set their play up just for her. She never spoke much, but they all knew how much Night Bird meant to her.
Bonnie couldn't imagine what it was like for her when he left. She would often wander corridors and rooms, lost in a daze from which she would be difficult to wake. If Foxy was well, Bonnie would often spend his evening following her from far behind to make sure she didn't get into trouble. Sometimes when she stared at the pots and pans in the kitchen, she would gain lucidity and talk to him. Bonnie did his best to be there for his friend as she recounted a particular memory to him. They had always known Chica could remember things better than they did, but it was though those sessions he found out the true extent of her capabilities. She remembers everything during her recollections, every small gesture, the minute changes and particularities in the Pizzeria itself, and every crease on Night Bird's smiling face. Absolutely nothing was beyond her notice.
Bonnie admired Chica for that, and for the strength she somehow mustered to will herself back before the trance consumed her. It must be unimaginably difficult to resist staying in her wonderful perfect memories of the past.
As Bonnie took his post at the corner, he thought about how incredible the others were: Chica with the clarity of her retrospect, Freddy with the sharpness of his wit, and Foxy with his speed and all-seeing view of the cameras when he had his eyepatch on. Bonnie felt happy he could call them his friends.
"The reason I asked you all who you wanted to save, as Freddy might have figured out," Night Bird motioned toward the bear when he spoke, "was because it tells me a lot about you."
"I don't understand." Bonnie said.
"Bonnie. You chose yourself because there's no one here more important to you." Night Bird turned to him.
"Freddy. You wanted to save Foxy because he's important to the children and because the children's happiness is important to you." He began to address the others. "And maybe you thought if Foxy chose himself afterward, like Bonnie did, he would be the one to get out."
"Aye, an' me?" Foxy came forward.
"Aside from the same reason as Freddy, you also wanted to let him out because you like him." Night Bird said. "So you want him to be happy, even if it means you get left behind."
"As for Chica, sometimes there are just too many things - too many reasons - that it becomes difficult to explain why you would do something." He smiled at her. "But regardless if the reasons are clear, you would do it anyway."
Bonnie felt singled out, being the only one not to have chosen someone else. Before he could say anything, Night Bird turned to him. "Don't worry Bonnie, there are no wrong answers. You told me what you really thought, and that's all I wanted from you."
"But Night Bird," Freddy shifted in his seating, and looked toward the storyteller. "Who would you choose?"
Of course! Night Bird hadn't said who he would let out, did he? Would he choose himself as Bonnie did? No, that's unlikely. Night Bird would never do that. Bonnie thought to himself for a bit who Night Bird would likely choose. Who did he value? Which one of them was most important to him?
"Who would I choose?" Night Bird repeated the question as he looked at his friends. For a fleeing moment, Bonnie hoped he would choose him. There was no reason to justify if he did, really. In fact, Bonnie might be the least likely he would save. But simply imagining that he would gave Bonnie a strange excitement. He watched Night Bird's lip turn into a knowing smile and he answered. "Nobody."
"What?" Bonnie immediately reacted.
"Yarr, that makes no sense lad."
"No," Freddy's brows furrowed. "Night Bird, why?"
"Well, you see Freddy," Night Bird clamped his hands on his knees. "It's because you're all important to me."
"But then," Bonnie reasoned, "we'll all still be inside."
"You're right, Bonnie. If nobody left, we would all still be inside." Night Bird turned to him. He opened his arms toward all of them. "But more importantly, we would all be inside together."
"Ah… oh." Bonnie saw Freddy's eyes widen in realization. The smart one had completely missed his guess. As the animatronics stared in stunned silence, Night Bird reached out to touch the arms of those closest to him, Bonnie and Chica.
As the clock ticked to usher in the morning and the dining room came back into Bonnie's focus, Night Bird imparted them the fulfillment of his earlier promise. "There is no happier ending than with all of us being together."
"Hahhahhahhahhahh~!"
Night Bird's wisdom was beyond them all.
As Bonnie quietly stepped toward the door, he recalled the stories Night Bird would tell them. His favorites were those of a young rabbit warrior born from a giant head of cabbage, Usagi Yojim-Bonnie. He recalled listening intently to how he, the hero, met and helped what would eventually be his friends – a fox, a bear cub, and a lonely chicken – with their problems. The troubles he fought on his quests were always beyond his capability, but he would always prevail because of his companions. The quick fox would always find escape and proved himself when fights break out, the smart bear cub would always solve mysteries with his intelligence, and the chicken… the chicken would somehow always find importance beyond what anyone could expect.
Bonnie gazed into the face of the false night guard once more, and thought about how his favorite story seemed similar to what was happening now. Now that he thinks about it, what was happening right now is exactly how their story went, except this time Bonnie would relinquish being the hero of the story in favor of Night Bird. In the same way the hero shared his food selflessly with the people he met, the Night Bird gave them all they could ever want. He gave them happiness. He gave them friendship. He gave them love.
And when he left, he gave them something to live for.
Once more, he felt out the circuits in the wall. As he began to sever them, the night guard gasped while looking through his device. Freddy had this time intercepted the feed to implant modified images, specifically edited to frighten the man. Bonnie should ask him later if he could teach him to do that.
Bonnie remembered the empty nights right after Night Bird left, how helpless and confused and uncertain he felt. For Foxy's sake, he would always put on a brave front, always believing that things would turn out for the best. He took it upon himself to become the fountain of hope that they all needed, exactly as Night Bird instructed him before he left. Yet even as Bonnie did that, there was a gripping doubt that haunted the back of his mind; despite everything Bonnie told Foxy and the others, he didn't know for certain how things would turn out. And, until Freddy had done what he did, the fears had begun to slowly gnaw at the hope that he held so closely at heart.
Looking back, he should have known how foolish it was to have ever doubted Night Bird's love for them. Even as he was now missing, Bonnie could feel the comfort of his presence. It was as if he never truly left.
Ever since Freddy had figured everything out and they began playing this new game, there has been incredible improvement in everyone. Chica no longer stared into mirrors as often to lose herself in the past. Although Foxy still scratched at his chest from time to time, the incidents have all but stopped and he had revived his friendship with Freddy. As for Bonnie, his resolve was strengthened greatly. Every night that they could scare away a night guard gave him, all of them, renewed hope and boundless energy.
"Hahhahhahhahhahh~!"
Bonnie pictured in his imagination what it would be like if, one night, he would find the Night Bird in the office. He wouldn't recognize him by his face, of course; only Chica could do that. But Bonnie would know if it was him, regardless. The Night Bird would glance up, and perhaps blink to let his eyes adjust to the darkness before seeing Bonnie. And upon finding his friend, the Night Bird would smile and stand. He would walk forward toward him, arms outstretched to embrace a friend he had not seen for so long. As he approached, the man would announce himself the same way he did every night he got caught while playing their old game. His voice would be bright and pure and warm. "It's me!"
Yes, Bonnie thought, the Night Bird will come back. And they, as his loyal companions, will help him every step of the way. Because that was how Night Bird's stories met their happy endings. And it was how their story will meet its happy ending. An uncanny calm washed over Bonnie as he stepped into the room silently, careful not to let his presence be known until exactly the right moment. There was going to be one last attempt at frightening the night guard away. If he runs, they will 'chase' before granting him escape; but if he fights, they will kill him.
As he stepped into that dark room, Bonnie reached toward the future without fear or hesitation.
They will earn their happy ending.
#
When does delusion become hope? Do children truly deserve to have their faith rewarded?
And so they continue on their lives; scaring the guards who would run, and killing those who won't. They happily work together, improving themselves and each other as they trudge toward the happy ending they hold in their hearts. Everything is deliberate, everything has a purpose, and everything is done out of love.
Ever since the beginning, this fic was meant to provide a backstory to the first FNAF game; you'd know if you read my pre-chapter notes back at the beginning where I described this as my headcanon. Don't look so surprised, I left hints everywhere for the 'Freddy' types. Good luck hunting them down!
Look back and notice, dear reader, how David personally affected each of the four animatronics in their chapters. Chica found love and acceptance, Foxy found friendship and inspiration, and Freddy found trust and a thirst for knowledge. But what about Bonnie? What did he get? Read back a little and compare, dear reader, how Bonnie thinks during the flashback where he would choose to save himself and damn the others, and the present where he couldn't shut up about how amazing the others are. Bonnie was not always the good boy he is now. What he gained from David was his entire sense of self, his current personality.
As for their current situation, you may be tempted to say they ended up here because of a misunderstanding. To a degree, you're right. But consider how Foxy so readily forgave Freddy; he did that because he already wants to become friends with the bear again. In the same manner, they're desperate for a confirmation that David loved them that any lead – specifically the one Freddy came up with – is good enough of a reason for them to truly believe that he will come back if they work hard enough.
Is it a sad ending? Is it a happy ending? I shouldn't be the one to answer this for you, dear reader. It all depends on where you focused and what you saw; did you see that their hope was false and worthless? Or did you see that their hope carried them out from the darkness they found themselves in, that it didn't matter whether it was real or not?
As I said before, once a story is told it doesn't belong to the author anymore, but to the reader. What did you take from this, dear reader? Were you inspired? Do you, perhaps, want to make a happy ending of your own? Do you want to earn your happy ending?
Then go ahead and do that. Take this seed as a base, and tell your story. Will you tell them the Night Bird they loved will never come back again, and in the process you break their hearts? Or will you bring him back for them, and give them their faith's reward? Or perhaps… perhaps you can become the Night Bird…
If my first reviewer is still here, I will now answer the question I've left hanging this whole time; on why the nickname is significant:
David is not quite the Night Bird.
At some point in the story, you may have noticed that they started putting him onto a pedestal to the point that they believe he would come back purely because he loved them. Night Bird transcended the person the name belonged to and, in their minds, will eventually become the perfect expression of love – and any night guard that doesn't fit that ideal is not wanted. That is not to say the ideal is impossible, of course, but that depends on what you can do as a writer should you decide to craft a happy ending of your own. I even left behind the scrapbooks, their collective and David's personal, back in chapter 1 to help you out.
Go ahead and take inspiration, dear reader, and write a story on how you would befriend them, how you would love them. If you can see past the carefully laid illusions, that is.
This is a scrapbook, dear friend, and I personally invite you to write in it.
PS. A Bonnie mix on my profile! It can actually apply to all of them, but hopeful songs fit Bonnie the best. I also went on tumblr and man is it addicting (link in my profile as well). I'm running a spinoff RP account based on this. Feel free to send anonymous asks over there to explore further, or ask them here in the reviews.
PPS. Animatronic powers so far: Chica has excellent memory, Foxy can see everything the cameras can, Freddy does photoshop (maybe even voicework *coughphoneguyisaconspiracycough*) among other things he can develop and share with others, and Bonnie can fix and improve or disable mechanics/electronics on top of circuitsense.
PPPS. Might make a couple more chapters here, just a story on what David was up to during the week he was gone and possibly touch on Basil and Chris. There won't be any animatronics in them though, but would you guys still be interested?
PPPPS. Want to make a spinoff/sequel of this fic? Need help figuring things out because it's confusing? Fire me a message and I'll help you out!
PPPPPS. Hah, someone's making their sequel! Yay! Look for "The Scrapbook of the Four" by Mockingbirdy. Of course, his interpretation shouldn't discourage you from making your own!