It was now Freddy's lunch break. He only had 10 minutes, but that was all he needed. He waited for Yenndo to go to the Staff Room, and then Freddy sprinted over to the supply room. He didn't know why, but he felt like something important was in there. Slowly opening and closing the door, Freddy was now in the room. "Good, now… where do I start?" The supply room was huge, with many tall shelves towering over Freddy, and thousands of boxes labeled in alphabetical order. He decided to look for something related to the Purple Guy.
Freddy walked over to the "P" section of boxes and looked for the words "Purple," but he couldn't find anything. Then he noticed that there was one spot on the shelf that was empty, but could totally fit a box there. "Someone removed this box…" he said to himself. "It's somewhere here in the restaurant, hopefully." Freddy then tried to think of another topic to search for. "Maybe… restaurants." He walked over to the "R" section of boxes. He found a box labeled, "Restaurants." He pulled out the box and looked through it. Old files, old newspapers… hmm… Oh? What's this? Freddy pulled out a newspaper clipping that was old and torn. It read:
Burnt To Ashes!
The restaurant known as "Funtime Theater" was recently burnt down! Authorities did a thorough search of the place, and have found a smashed pipe. This pipe may be the cause of the fire, for it may have had too much pressure built up, and it burst, releasing a flammable gas into the air. A technician called - said that - did a che- that m-ning, and noth- was w-ng -ith the pipes. But - we can all s-e, t-e r-ta-t -as -n fact - - - - - and - -.
"Hmmm… so Baby's old place was burnt because of a leaky pipe…? That doesn't seem too believable." Freddy folded the newspaper and stuffed it in his pocket. Then he quickly made his way back out of the Supply Room and went over to the stage. He didn't have to perform yet, but he could see most of the many hallways up there. Standing on the stage, Freddy noticed some kids that were waiting for another show. He didn't know any other songs, and he just performed "Funtime Jam" to them before lunch. He kneeled down and called them over. The few kids came walking over, smiling and joyful.
"H-hey Mr. Fazby!" One of the kids said.
An older kid, probably an older brother, said, "It's Mr. Fazbear, not Fazby."
"Let him do w-what h-he wants! He's only a few years old."
"Yeah."
Freddy smiled. "Hello there, my name is Freddy Fazbear," he said. Earlier, he learned from Ballora that when speaking to children, you always have to introduce yourself, even when they already know your name. He thought it was weird, but he didn't question it. "How are you kids doing? Are you enjoying it here?" he asked.
"YEAH! Me eat pizza!" the little kid yelled.
"As you can probably tell…" the older boy said.
"Eh, but y-yeah. It's p-pretty c-cool here, not g-going to l-lie," a girl said.
"That's great! Did you get to see the previous performance?" Freddy asked.
"Well, duh, we've been here for like, hours," the older boy said.
"H-hey! Don't be m-mean to h-him!" the younger girl said.
"Heh heh! Yeah!" the little boy chimed in.
"Alright… I'm sorry Mr. Fazbear."
"Please, call me Freddy," Freddy said, looking at the kids. "What are you names?"
"Well, I'm Zack. This is my younger sister, Ali, and my little brother, Manny," the oldest kid said. "We came here to just check the place out, and maybe play some games. You know…" Zack then whispered in Freddy's ear, "We're just trying to get away from our parents for a little while."
"Oh… alright. I get it," Freddy said. "Hey, did you children win anything yet?"
"Well, not yet. I think the games are rigged," Zack said, when he looked at Freddy. "WAIT… are they?!"
"Haha, I don't think so," Freddy said. He looked around and saw some parents looking around suspiciously. Freddy whispered to Zack, "Are those your parents?" Freddy pointed at the parents and Zack turned his head around. He flinched, and then looked back at Freddy.
"YES. You gotta help me. Help us," he pointed to his siblings. "Our parents are SO clingy. Can we please hide from them for a little while?"
"Oh… uh… I don't think I'm allowed to do that…" Freddy said, noticing the parents coming closer, but still not seeing their own children.
"P-please?" Ali said. "Just for a l-little b-bit!" Little Manny nodded slowly behind her. Freddy didn't know what to do, because if Baby, Ballora, or even Yenndo found out that he did this, he would be in big trouble. "I… uh…" Their parents were talking to Bonnet, and then DeeDee. Freddy sighed. "FINE… come and follow me. AND BE FAST." Freddy walked backstage and the three children followed behind. They walked over to behind a box, and then sat behind it. Freddy, Zack, Ali, and Manny were hidden.
"Oh thank you so much," Zack said.
"Yeah…" Freddy said, regretting the choice that he just made. "So, what are you going to do here…?"
"We won't be here for long, just a couple of minutes. Our parents are too attached to us, ya know? We can't have any privacy! Like, I'm in the arcade playing a game. My mom is right behind me, making sure I don't 'sprain any fingers' while playing."
"Yeah, a-also, I w-was trying t-to e-eat some cake, while m-my dad was just s-standing there, behind me, m-making s-sure I don't choke on m-my food."
"YEH! Me use restroom! DADDY WATCH ME GO! Creepy," Manny said.
"Well, I'll stay here with you then. So, what are you guys going to do?"
"Let's talk about things that isn't about 'What I am going to be when I grow up?' or 'How am I going to accomplish my goals?' because I'm sick of that. Like, I'm only what, twelve? I can think about that stuff later."
Freddy was surprised at how much this kid could talk. "Okay, then… let's talk about… your favorite game."
"Cool. Can I start?" asked Zack.
Freddy nodded.
"Okay, I really like the game Electronics vs. Vampires because it looks so real! Have you ever played it before?"
"Nah, I've never even heard of it."
Zack looked at Freddy with disbelief. "Seriously?"
"Yeah. So, Ali? How about you? What's your favorite game?"
"O-oh… uhm… let me t-think." She sat there for a few seconds, deep in thought. "Er… hmm, maybe Super Yum Yum Land. I-it's really f-fun."
"Oh Ali, that game is so weird. I don't understand what the main goal of that game even is!" Zack said.
"OH Y-YEAH? Well, t-that's because y-you a-are… uh… WEIRD!"
Freddy laughed. These siblings reminded him of his own, and he actually liked the company of these children. They all continued to talk for a while, about school, work, hobbies, and more. Freddy and the children made sure that they were quiet so nobody knew that they were there. But they all went silent when they heard a voice coming from the other side of the box.
"Helllllooo? Freddy? Are you there?" Freddy recognized it as Ballora's voice, and he immediately shushed the children and then slowly came out from behind the box. He sneaked around, making sure that Ballora didn't see him. Then when he was a safe distance away from the box, he walked up behind Ballora and said, "Hey."
Ballora jumped and turned around. "Dear goodness Freddy! You scared me. Where were you?" she asked.
"I was… practicing by myself. You know, to get away from the loudness out there."
"Oh. Well, next time at least tell me where you are, okay? I was looking for you."
"Why?"
"Well, first, because you didn't eat lunch! We saved you some sandwiches in the staff room if you want any. And secondly, some parents asked us to look for their children. It seems that they have disappeared. I need your help to find them."
Freddy tried not to look at the spot where the children were hiding, and said, "Ha, well, of course I can help. I'll be there in a bit."
Ballora nodded. "Thanks Freddy." She ran off, continuing to look for the children. Freddy hurried over to the trio and whispered, "You guys need to go now, I'm sorry."
They all nodded and got up and out from behind the box. Then Freddy took them to the party area and looked for Ballora. He saw her running around, asking people questions. But then she saw Freddy with the missing children. She gasped and ran over to him. "You… found them already?! How-where were they?!"
"They were just playing hide and seek. They just got lost, that's all," Freddy said, avoiding Ballora's question. The trio smiled at Ballora.
"H-hi! I'm Ali!" Ali said, looking up at Ballora.
"MANNY!" the little boy said, running up to Ballora and hugging her leg.
"Oh, uh…" Ballora just smiled and whispered to Freddy, "Thanks." Freddy nodded and then saw some parents running towards them.
"GOOD HEAVENS! THERE YOU ARE!" a woman said, which Freddy assumed to be their mother. She quickly hugged all of them, and they hugged her back, (Well, Zack looked pretty disgusted). The man, probably the father, also gave them a hug.
"We were looking all over for you!" he said. "We were so worried! Thank you for finding them!"
Ballora smiled. "It's no problem," she stated.
"Well kids, time to go home."
The trio nodded in sadness. The family walked out of the pizzeria, with Ballora and Freddy following them, just to say goodbye. Ali and Manny hugged Freddy, and then waved goodbye. Zack just smiled at Freddy. Freddy smiled back, and watched as the family drove off.
"Well, they seemed to like you," Ballora said suspiciously. "Did you do something with them?"
Freddy shook his head 'no' and walked back inside.
The rest of the day was the same. He just performed, ate some food, performed again, and sometimes, he would try to go back to the storage room, but Yenndo was always there. So that was scratched off of his list today. Sometimes, he would also try to look for that missing box, but didn't see it anywhere.
It was now 9:57 PM, and all of the people were gone. The restaurant closes at 10:00 PM, so Freddy understood why everybody left. Every one of the workers was now in the staff room. They were talking about their first day, and what they could do to improve.
"We need more workers," Baby said, "I am really stressed when I'm cooking. There are just too many orders for me to handle on my own!"
"Don't worry Baby, we'll find someone to help you cook. But for now, just try your best," Ballora said. Baby nodded in agreement.
"I'll try to learn some more songs," Freddy said. "I mean, I can't keep singing the same song over and over again right? So… I'll find something."
"Well, it's your fault that you didn't prepare," Yenndo said. "Maybe if you actually got ready…"
"YENNDO! It's not his fault! He was probably too busy with other matters!" Bonnet said. Yenndo scoffed and put his head down.
"Oh, guys," Baby interjected. "We need to guess what his previous occupation was! He won't tell me!"
"Oooh, really? Will we win a prize if we do?" DeeDee said. "Because that would be awesome."
"No, it's just for fun," Freddy said. BB was there, thinking about what to say. Freddy noticed that he looked down again, so he decided to talk to him. "Hey, BB?"
BB's head shot up and looked at Freddy. "What? Oh, me?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm talking to you. So, did you give away a lot of prizes?" Freddy asked.
"Uh… well…" BB smiled. "It wasn't going well for a while, but then after you showed up and helped me, more and more kids started to come."
"Aww, you helped BB? That's sweet," Baby said.
"Hey guys," Lolbit chimed in, "I was wondering if we had any technical problems today, because I saw one of the kids in the generator room."
"Whoa, really? That's weird," Bonnet said.
"Nothing out of the ordinary happened Lolbit," Baby said.
"Hm. Alright then. I was just checking."
DING, DONG, DING!
The noise echoed throughout the whole restaurant. Baby sighed. "I guess that means we can go home then."
"FINALLY," Yenndo said.
Everyone walked out of the restaurant. Baby had the keys, so she locked it and said to everyone, "Alright! Bye everyone! I'll see you all tomorrow!"
"Bye!" Bonnet said.
"See ya later!" Lolbit said.
Everyone got in their cars and left. The only people left were Freddy and BB. "BB? Do you have a place to go?" Freddy asked, curious to see hear his answer.
"What? Yeah, I just walk. I'll go now, it's very dark you know. I'll see you tomorrow," BB said.
"Bye!" Freddy said. He watched the small kid walk away and then Freddy sighed. He had to report back to Marionette, but he was super freaking tired. Freddy sighed again, and just started to walk back to the Puppet Pizzeria. When he arrived, he walked in, pushed the hidden button, and turned his flashlight on. Then he said the password, the door opened, and he saw Mangle, still sitting in her control room.
"So," she said. "You look like crap."
"Ha, I'm just tired," Freddy said. "Is Marionette here?"
"Yeah, just go to his office."
Freddy walked over to his office. When he knocked, he was about to fall asleep. But then the super loud voice of his boss woke him, saying, "WHO IS IT? IS IT THE MAILM-"
"NO! It's Freddy. I'm back from… work."
The door was opened and Freddy walked in. He slumped onto the wrecked chair and closed his eyes. The sound of the music box calmed him. I could fall asleep right now…
"HAHAHA! SO… HOW WAS YOUR NEW JOB?" his boss asked.
Never mind.
"Ah, oh… uh…" Freddy sat up in the chair and opened his eyes. "It was… interesting. I found this," Freddy said, handing Marionette the newspaper clipping that he found. "Apparently, most of the workers there have worked together before at a place called, "Funtime Theater." It says in this paper that it was burnt down, but I don't really believe that. They seem like nice people, but sometimes, I get this odd feeling from them."
"INTERESTING…"
"Oh and when I was in the supply room, I was looking for some information on this 'Purple Guy' but that box is missing for some reason. I think someone took it and hid it somewhere."
"OKAY THEN. DO YOU THINK THIS BOX IS AT THE RESTAURANT?"
"Well, I don't really know, to be honest. I really hope it is though. I am keeping my eyes out for it. Oh, and there's this… Yenndo guy who attacked me because I was just trying to ask some questions."
"YOU SHOULD STAY AWAY FROM THAT GUY. ANYWAYS, IT SEEMS THAT YOU HAVE FOUND OUT A DECENT AMOUNT OF INFORMATION! THAT'S GREAT! YOU DID A GOOD JOB TODAY, YES YOU DID!" Marionette pulled out a box with a brown ribbon tied around it. "WHEN YOU GET HOME, OPEN THE PRESENT!" he said as he handed it to Freddy.
"Uh, okay then."
"YOU CAN GO HOME AND REST NOW, FREDDY."
"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow then."
Marionette nodded and Freddy left. He walked home and unlocked the door. He entered his home, locked the door behind him, and headed upstairs. He then changed into his pajamas, brushed his teeth, and did his usual night-time routine. Then he walked to his room, and sat on his bed. He grabbed the mysterious present from before and decided to open it, just like his boss asked him to.
Inside, was a music box, exactly like the one Marionette had in his office. Freddy examined it very closely. Then, he grabbed the letter inside of the box and read it.
To Freddy,
This is a music box that I have made just for you! As you may have noticed, it is exactly the same as mine! Pretty cool, right?! Anyways, I want you to have it for all of the hard work you have done for F.N.A.F. and the community. Even though they do not know of your good deeds, I'm pretty sure that they are happy enough to be alive? Right? Anyways, about the music box, you can wind it up, and it lasts for days! So, if you ever want to listen to some music nonstop, then wind it up! And then if you ever get sick of it when it's playing, then… too bad!
Sincerely, Marionette
Freddy laughed at how ridiculous this gift was, but he was happy that he got one. This showed how much Marionette cared about him. Freddy actually did have a hard time sleeping, and the music that usually comes from the music box actually helps him relax. He also wanted to see if it actually lasted for days, so he winded up the music box. A soft melody began to play, and Freddy sighed in relief. He got under the covers, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.
Back at the F.N.A.F. basement, Marionette was in his office, watching the security cameras that showed the newly opened restaurant, "Purple Guy's Burgers and Fries." He only had the time to put cameras on the outside of the restaurant without getting caught, and he actually almost did. Marionette laughed. No one can catch me… I'm too slick and fast for their eyes…
"Boss?" a deep and twisted voice said on the other side of his door. Marionette got up from his chair and walked over to the door. That voice could only be one person. He opened the door and there, stood Nightmare. Nightmare was a very creepy fellow, wearing an all-black suit and wearing a little yellow top hat and bow tie. Even though he was creepy-looking, he wasn't taller than his boss.
"OH," Marionette said, smiling. "WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE?"
"Boss, there was a note on the outside of our pizzeria," he said, handing Marionette a purple envelope. "It was addressed to you, so I brought it here."
"OOOOOOO! A NOTE FOR ME? IS IT FROM THE MAILMAN?" Marionette asked, looking at the envelope closely. He noticed that there was no return address and the only words it said were written in a dark, purple marker. "The Puppet," it said. "I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR MY PACKAGE FOR MONTHS NOW!"
"No, I don't think it's from the mailman, boss," Nightmare said, looking annoyed. "So, are you going to open it?"
"YES NIGHTMARE, I WILL. THANKS FOR BRINGING THIS TO ME!" he said as he went back in his office and closed the door, leaving Nightmare with a confused look on his face. Marionette sat in his chair and fiddled with the note in his hands. Then he noticed that his music box was almost done playing music. "OH DEAR." He set the note down on his desk and grabbed the small music box. It was white in color, with two stripes crossing the sides of it, like a present. He slowly winded up the small handle on the side until it couldn't be turned anymore. Then he let go, and the music box was playing properly again. Marionette sighed in relief. He set the music box back down on his desk and grabbed the purple envelope. "HMMM…" he mumbled. He opened the flap on it and grabbed the piece of paper hanging out. He opened the folded paper, and read what it had to say.
Puppet, Puppet, Puppet.
You are a stupid one, aren't you?
Did you really think I wouldn't notice what you are planning?
Did you think that sending in one of your agents would work?
Well, too bad for you.
I'll make sure that you can't mess up my plans, no matter what.
-P.G.
Marionette was surprised. He hadn't heard from his rival in so long. But then he thought of how the letter spoke of his agent, Freddy. Freddy had told him that the boss wasn't there at the restaurant, but what if he was? What if he was planning to hurt Freddy? Marionette couldn't stand the thought. He had to make sure Freddy was going to be okay.
He must go there, and protect him.
But he can't, for the workers will probably recognize him if they are working with Purple Guy.
Then he'll just have to send someone else.
Someone that he could trust to protect Freddy.
Marionette picked up his phone and dialed a number. "Ugh… who is it?" a soft voice said.
"GUESS WHO!" Marionette yelled. The girl on the other side yelped in surprise, and then cleared their throat.
"Why… are you calling me… at midnight…?" she asked.
"I NEED YOU HELP CHICA! YOUR BROTHER MAY BE IN TROUBLE!"
"What? Oh no, you didn't send him on another one of those missions that require him to jump into a volcano? Right? Or one of those missions where he is underwater in a submarine for longer than a week? RIGHT?"
"UH, NO. WHY WOULD I DO THAT?"
"I don't know what kind of missions you send him on, so I just guessed."
"WELL, I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT IT IS NOT VOLCANO JUMPING OR SUBMARINE CAMPING."
"Then… what is it? Also, how did you even get my number?"
"JUST COME OVER TO THE PIZZERIA!" Marionette was about to hang up, until he added, "NOW!"
"Ugh. Fine. I'll be there." Chica hung up and Marionette smiled.
This should work… hopefully.
A/N: I made up those games that Ali and Zack like. Just wanted to let you readers know.
Also... Chica will be in the next chapter! Yeah!