"Hello."
Nothing was around him. Nothing made sense, and nothing registered as anything in his mind. Everything was dark and black, no hint of life or light.
Was he living? Dead? Was he non existent? What was he? WHO was he? So many questions popped up, but were left unanswered.
Something had greeted him. He didn't know how to speak, so how was he to reply? He couldn't seem to speak to ask any of the questions that surfaced to the front of his mind.
"You are a replacement."
A replacement? What was that?
"I know you have many questions," It said softly. "But now is not the time. You will meet me later."
There was a pause. Noise was beginning to fade into his ears. It was bizarre and foreign.
"Obey me, and we won't have a problem."
The voice was cool and smooth, an eerie tint seeping around it. Although it sounded welcoming, it didn't feel like it. There was something very wrong about it.
"I am your master."
The outside noise got louder, and the voice got softer. He couldn't figure out what was happening, or why it was happening. He attempted to move, but couldn't.
"Goodmorning." The voice said, almost carrying a mocking tone. It laughed manically, but quickly faded out as the background noise came in full blast.
"Up and running, Boss! The others will be working tomorrow, then we can get this show on the road!"
Red's eyes opened slowly, blinking in confusion. His unfocused, blurry vision melted into a group of humans were scurrying about and around, doing various things. Several humans walked away from the bear after he opened his eyes.
They muttered things about 'the old ones', and 'malfunctioning'. He didn't understand a word of it, yet. He listened intently, however.
Who was he? What was he? He wanted to ask these odd beings questions, but something stopped him from doing so. His A.I. kicked in a few seconds later, blasting him with knowledge of many things. It made him dizzy, and he nearly fell over.
The humans cleaned up and finished setting the tables in the room, then cleared out of the area in no time, going off to some other part of the restaurant. The lights dimmed around him, and Red was left very dazed and confused.
He waited for someone to come back, but they didn't. The lights in the other parts of the restaurant went off one by one, leaving him in only the dimmed spotlight of the stage.
He felt lonely.
Looking around, he tilted his head. He was on a stage of some sort, all alone. His ears twitched, trying to pick up any type of sound.
"H-hello?" He questioned quietly, unsure. His own voice startled him at first, but he got used to it. He walked carefully off of the stage, flattening his ears a bit. His programming told him to go find companionship, so that was what he was going to do.
He explored various rooms, unsure of what to do. There were no humans, no other animatronics, nothing. Who would simply create him to be lonely?
His existence fascinated him. He walked around not just to find others, but to enjoy the experience of walking, hearing and seeing. Even though he was made of metal, he could mildly feel what was around him, and taste the air. It was truly marvelous.
As he neared a new zone of the restaurant, he heard a clang. Perking up, he instantly went towards it, his heart jumping. He desperately wanted to test out his communication skills, and find companionship.
Coming up to a door, he noticed that it said "Parts and Service". Tilting his head again, he opened the door slowly, looking around. He was surprised when his eyes lit up the darkness in front of him.
Walking around, he spotted three other animatronics. A rabbit, a fox, and a chicken. Studying them for a moment, he came to the conclusion that they were shut down. Sighing, he continued to search around, studying various little things.
"Well, well, well~"
Red nearly jumped out of his exoskeleton at the voice. Whipping his head around, he looked at the other two animatronics. The bunny had already moved from his spot.
"Look what the humans dragged in." The blue animatronic spoke, making the other frown.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Red asked in a genuinely confused tone, his ears flattening a bit. The bunny laughed, studying him.
"I was thinking our leader would be someone less...fat."
Red growled at the bunny. Standing up straight, he looked down at the other, glowering. "What the hell are you? Female or male?"
The rabbit gasped in offense, stepping back a step. "I'll have you know that I'm all male, darling. What ever made you think that I'm a female?!" Looking at the tips of his fingers for a second, he gave Red a puppy dog face, pouting a bit. "I'm offended."
Red studied him. His A.I. answered any questions on this rabbit, much to his relief. He didn't want to ask too much, just because he seemed to be a huge jerk. Crossing his arms, he snorted.
"You have no right to speak to me in such a manner, Toy Bonnie. I'm not fat. Keep your opinions to yourself."
"Fact, sweetheart. It's a fact. And don't call me that." He said in a snippy tone, snorting. "I'll have you know-again- that I want to go by the alias of Clyde, thank you very much. Bonnie is a horrible name." He finished his demand with a sharp nod before continuing. "What kind of name is 'Ready', anyways?"
"Ready?" Red asked, tilting his head a bit. "That isn't my name. I'm Toy Freddy."
"My programming tells me your name is "Ready-Freddy Fazbear". My programming is never wrong." Clyde confirmed in a matter-of-factly tone, smirking.
"Well, your programming is wrong, buddy." Red said with a growl, flattening his ears to his skull. Clyde laughed haughtily.
"Calm down, Ready. No need to be such a bear about it."
He laughed again, which made the bear snarl lightly. Snorting, he turned his back to the bunny, rubbing his face in agitation.
"You're not funny. And fine, if you're going to be such an exhaust pipe about it, just call me Red."
"Red?" Clyde questioned after he finished laughing, tapping his chin in thought. "Red. Hmm. I suppose I can deal with it."
"You better." He snorted, giving him a look. "I'm technically your leader."
"Oh, excuse me my most kind and gracious leader!" The bunny cried out loudly, sweeping downwards for an overly-dramatic bow. "Do you want me to lick your feet while I'm down here?"
"No, stop it!" Red snarled. He stormed off, ignoring any shouts from Clyde as he went. He shook his head, sighing sadly.
Spotting a poster in one of the halls, he stopped and tilted his head at it. It depicted he, Clyde and the female chicken together. It bore the words 'Freddy and Friends', which made his ears droop.
"Freddy and Friends?" He muttered, turning around to go back to the stage. "What a joke."
The night and the following day went by like a blur. Odd, nightmare-like dreams filled his mind, making him wake up in a start various times. When the morning came, the chicken and Clyde were hauled out to the stage. The restaurant was opened soon after, and they performed together.
It seemed like they had no control over their movements. It finally sunk in for Red that he was indeed a robot. He felt like a puppet. That's all he was, he was a puppet for their amusement. Luckily they were allowed breaks, where they would move from the stage of their own free will and interact with the children.
The children loved them all. Boys seemed more gravitated towards Clyde, and females were more gravitated to the chicken. All children loved Red, much to his relief. They would all hug him and attempt to squeeze his nose, which would make it honk. Slightly embarrassing, but if it made them happy, it made him happy. Some would even give him their pizza, which would result in some scolding from their parents.
The first few hours were rough on Red, but everything began going smoother when he was free to move around in between sets of songs.
During these times, he would glance over at the chicken and Clyde. They seemed to have already hit it off, and were acting like the closest of friends. They were laughing and eating some pizza that some humans had given them. Red couldn't help but to feel jealous.
Even though the children loved him, he yearned for the companionship of the other animatronics. He wasn't sure if he had done something wrong. Maybe he had been too harsh on the rabbit.
Soon enough, night came and the restaurant closed down until the next morning.
All in all, Red had enjoyed himself with the children.
He just wish he could've said the same thing about his fellow animatronics.
Red watched the last human exit the building and lock the doors for the night. The bear's ears twitched when he heard Clyde yawn loudly, scratching his back. The chicken got up from her spot quickly before the bunny could move, looking over to the bear.
"Clyde said your name is Red?" She questioned, getting in front of the bear before he could react. He suddenly found himself staring awkwardly at her horribly short attire, but was able to avert his eyes before he was caught.
"Yes?" He asked cautiously, raising an eyebrow. She smiled at him and grabbed his hand, shaking it roughly.
"Hi, I'm Toy Chica! You can just call me T-Chi, if you want!" Her voice was excited and boisterous, with a warm, welcoming ring to it. He gently gripped her hand in return and shook it, tipping his hat with the other.
"Nice to meet you, toots. Pleasure workin' with 'ya."
She giggled a little bit at the nickname, giving him an expression akin to Clyde's constant half-lidded gaze. He backed away slowly with an uncomfortable look on his face, frowning.
"Oh, calm down, Red. She isn't gonna bite~" Clyde flaunted over, making Red flatten his ears and growl a bit. Clyde laughed, while T-Chi glared at the bunny.
"T-Bone, be nice!" She demanded, gently whacking the back of his head. He squeaked in distress while Red laughed a bit.
"T-Bone? Really?" Red asked through his laughs, shaking his head. The bunny blushed in frustration, turning his nose up at the bear. The blue animatronic walked away, his tail raised in defiance.
"At least it's a better nickname than Tea-Bag, sweetie."
T-Chi and Red watched the rabbit storm off, much to their amusement. Red smiled a bit and turned to the chicken, looking around.
"Toots, I saw a fox the other day. Where is it?" He questioned, looking around. T-Chi looked confused for a moment before realization dawned on her.
"Oh, Toy Foxy! Yeah, follow me!"
She ran off to a random direction, making the bear cough awkwardly. He lowered his gaze to the ground and followed quickly, trying not to look at her.
"T-Chi, how about I lead next time. Or at least get new pants..."
"Why, what's wrong with my shorts?" He asked, glancing back at him. He shrugged, looking anywhere but at her.
"They're a little too revealing."
"Oh." She simply said, not seeming too concerned. As they walked, he suddenly realized that their stage room was just a massive area for not just tables, but games as well. How had he missed that earlier?
A humanoid statue-like creature stood off to a distance, holding a balloon and a sign. Red wasn't sure if it was an animatronic or just a prop for the restaurant, but he couldn't exactly find out with T-Chi expecting him to follow.
It was dark and hard to make out anything, but he noticed a large present box in a corner. A soft, plinking tone emitted from the general area near it, catching his attention. Looking at its direction, he saw the top part of it lift up a bit. A sudden flash of static obscured his vision, making him flinch and stop. The plinking distorted horribly for a split second, making him twitch. He growled and held his face, trying to shake it off.
"What's wrong?" T-Chi asked, looking back at him. He shook his head and blinked a few times, snorting.
"Nothing."
He took a quick glance back to the present box. The lid was back down.
Maybe there was just something wrong with his programming.
She stared at him worriedly for a few moments, before finally starting to walk again. They rounded a corner and entered a small, closed off room, which was titled "Kid's Cove". T-Chi went over to a corner, waving something out.
"Come on! I want you to meet Red!"
Glowing hazel/yellow eyes shone through the darkness, followed by a white and pink fox coming out of the shadows. It looked around worriedly and jumped at the sight of Red, nearly going backwards into the cove.
"Come on, bozo! Move it!" A gravely voice came from the fox's direction, making it jump. It walked out faster, revealing a puppet that it held. Red watched in confusion, frowning at them both.
"What?" The miniature puppet barked in defense, glaring at the bear. "Haven't you ever seen a mime-ventriloquist fox holding a puppet before?"
Red gave the two an odd look. It was hard to tell if the puppet was separate from Toy Foxy, or if they were conjoined together. It was a horrifying thought to think about.
"Tangled mess," He muttered to himself, frowning at them both. Toy Foxy let its ears fall, while the miniature puppet seemed angry.
"Shut up, fatass! I heard that!" It yelled, making Toy Foxy flinch. T-Chi laughed a bit, looking to them.
"Guys, calm down. This is our leader, Toy Freddy. He's super sweet!" She exclaimed, patting the bear's chest.
"Yeah, whatever." The mini animatronic muttered. Red snorted, glaring at them.
"What's your name?" He muttered, feeling a bit awkward. It laughed a short, barking laugh, smirking.
"Don't got one, bud. 'Ya already called me it, so just call me Tangle, or somethin'. I kinda like the sound of it."
"Tangle and Toy Foxy, right." He repeated, rubbing the back of his neck. He studied them both, suddenly realizing the fox was slightly torn apart. Tilting his head in confusion, he snorted.
"What happened?"
"Damn kids. They ripped us apart. Guess it's their take on fun." Tangle growled, motioning for Toy Foxy to bend down. It did so, and began collecting some parts on the floor. Tangle continued. "Didn't hurt much, just kind of disheartening."
Red watched Tangle shout demands at Toy Foxy, who worked quickly. It got up and grabbed a nearby toolbox from a closet, and sat down on the floor. Both of them began to work screwdrivers and wrenches on the main body, getting most of the metal back on successfully. Red perked up in interest, watching closely.
"How do you do that?"
"What? It's nothing." Tangle said, not looking up from Toy Foxy. "We'll teach you tomorrow, if 'ya want."
Red seemed genuinely confused by Tangle's constant mood swinging from angry to a normal-tempered animatronic. Nodding slowly, he looked to T-Chi, who was watching them as well. She looked amused.
"Can you guys go away? I don't like you two weirdos watching us undress. Or dress back up." Tangle growled at T-Chi and Red, its mood changing quickly. The two animatronics backed away with a silent nod, leaving the conjoined animatronic to itself.
"Why did you want me to meet them?" Red asked T-Chi, taking one last glance to Kid's Cove as they walked away.
"Because, you're the leader. You have to know everybody." She shrugged after she finished speaking, leading him back to the stage. He watched her carefully, flicking his tail a bit in thought.
Glancing over to the large present box again, he narrowed his eyes.
Something was very wrong about it.
Author's Note:
Heya, guys! How's it goin'? I hope you're all doing well! The next chapter (or two) will be flashback chapters.
Ugh, I honestly thought this chapter was longer. Whywhywhywhy
I'd like to thank you all for understanding and giving me time to work everything out. I'm kinda struggling with the story, but I'll keep it going! Even if it has to go on hiatus for a while. I regret not working on this more during BoC.
I've actually been writing some...um. FNaF things. That I won't upload here. I can't. They're too...um. NSFW. In that way.
Big thanks to Chillaid for beta reading!
It's really weird. According to my traffic graphs, I have over 500 regular readers of this story. I honestly can't even begin to fathom that. So, if you're reading this still, thank you. I'm so glad you guys like it.
I'd also like to thank Angelication09, Insanity21, OMEGA ZX 420, MarmaladeBird, stephaniec1025, LevitatingPiez, Anon pyr0kid, Anon Jules, MCHaunter, calytommo, FadedMemories09, MitziCrossing, Mumble the Penguin, Anon Zoe Porter, Anon Elysion Wish, CanzetYote, and MLPFan298 for the kind reviews! I love you guys so much!
Reviewer Spotlight: Today's reviewer spotlight goes to MLPFan298 for all of the reviews you gave this story and the original BoC! Your support means a lot to me.
Song Spotlight: Today's song spotlight goes to "Life Without You" by Stanfour! (Single version, not the duet). Someone on the ask account linked it to me, and I just sat there going "...Yeah, it fits my Freddy." Really highlights Freddy's feelings towards Bonnie and the other old animatronics.
Answered Questions!:
Anon Elysion Wish: "1) Will Chica and Foxy (OMG FOXYYYY) be back? I miss them... (They are my faves)
2) Hmm I've been wondering... who controls the *Body* Mangle or Tangle? Or do they take shifts or something..."
Answer:
1: Yep, they'll be back!
2: Mangle controls it! I thought it'd be amusing to have Tangle completely helpless aside from moving its (his?) own head/neck around.
Sorry if I missed any questions, these were the only ones I saw!
