Monday, October 16, 1978

Fredbear's Diner was by far the most popular restaurant in the city of Hurricane, if not in all of Utah. Every kid wanted to have their birthday party there, but not because of the food, which was fairly mediocre. No, the main draw were the state-of-the-art animatronic characters, Spring Bonnie and the eponymous Fredbear.

Not only did the characters perform on stage, but they would also come down to mingle with the guests and play with the kids. Spring Bonnie in particular delighted in personally interacting with the kids to make sure that they had a fun time.

The secret to the restaurant's success was the way the animatronic suits were designed. On stage, they were simply animatronics performing pre-programmed routines, but offstage they were switched into 'suit mode', allowing human staff to wear them so that they could interact with guests without breaking the illusion of the characters being alive.

Today was Matthew's birthday. His parents had scheduled his party to be held at Fredbear's Diner, and having never been to the restaurant, the boy had a blast. Watching Fredbear and Spring Bonnie perform on stage while eating pizza had been great fun, but his mind was absolutely blown when afterwards Spring Bonnie himself approached their table with a birthday cake in his hands. As the golden bunny neared the table, he began to sing 'Happy Birthday', with the rest of Matthew's family joining in as he placed the cake on the table.

After they all had finished the song, Spring Bonnie laughed and patted the boy on the back. "Well Matthew, aren't you going to make a wish and blow out the candles?"

The boy just stared up at the bunny with big eyes. "Y-you know my name?"

Spring Bonnie laughed again. "Of course I do! I know the names of all of the boys and girls who visit our Diner."

"Really?" Matthew asked, still in disbelief that the bunny was here talking to him.

"Of course—"

A member of the staff then ran up to Spring Bonnie with a concerned look on his face. "Mister Afton, your—"

The bunny cut him off with his laughter. "Mister Afton? I'm afraid you're confusing me for someone else."

"Please, it's urgent!" The staff member pleaded.

"Oh well, in that case, let me help you look for this Afton fellow," Spring Bonnie said and waved the guests goodbye before he accompanied the staff member to the 'employees only' area. William Afton then took off the head of his Spring Bonnie costume and glared at the staff member. "What did I tell you about calling me by my real name while I'm in the suit?!"

"I-I'm sorry, sir! But this is important," the staff member stuttered out.

"Then spit it out!" William shouted.

"It's your wife, sir. She's in labor."

William spared no time to get out of the Spring Bonnie suit. After leaving the diner and getting in his car, he sped off to the hospital. Once there, he rushed to the reception, where a nurse directed him to the delivery room.

As William approached the door, he noticed that there was a distinct lack of labored screams, and he couldn't help but to fear the worst. However, upon entering the room, he was met with the sight of a newborn baby resting on his wife's bosom. His wife greeted him with a weary smile before returning her attention to the baby.

The doctor then stepped into view and smiled at William. "Clara's delivery went much smoother than anticipated, and I'm happy to inform you that she's given birth to a healthy baby boy."

William approached Clara and their newborn son with a smile on his face. He stroked her cheek and kissed her. "How are you feeling, honey?"

"Like a wreck," Clara replied with a chuckle. "But I'll be fine." She smiled affectionately at the baby in her arms and said, "Evan, I'd like for you to meet your father."

William looked upon the baby boy with great fondness as he reached out and gently stroked his tiny hand. Smiling, he said, "Hello, Evan."

While Clara and Evan had to stay over at the hospital for the next couple of days, William returned home that evening. After having a sandwich for dinner, he walked upstairs and entered what would soon become Evan's room. It used to be one of his workshops, but he had since cleared it out, changed out the floor, and put up wallpaper so as to make it more appropriate as a child's bedroom.

William smiled to himself as he imagined what it would be like to have Evan there.

He closed the door and then made his way towards his office to do a bit of work. Then, suddenly, someone knocked on the front door.

William went downstairs and opened the door, and was greeted by his business partner Henry Emily, Henry's wife Martha, their one year old daughter Charlotte who was cradled in Martha's arms, as well as the Afton children—Michael, who was five years old, and Elizabeth, who was two.

"Hey, buddy!" Henry grinned. "We wanted to swing by and congratulate you! And to drop off your kids, of course."

William chuckled. "Yeah, it's hard to believe that I'm already on my third child." He then gestured for everyone to enter. "Do you want to come in?"

"Sure," Henry replied as he went through the door, followed by everyone else.

"And hey, thank you so much for watching the kids today!" William said with a smile.

Martha smiled back at him. "Oh, it was no trouble at all!"

While Michael and Elizabeth went upstairs to play, Henry and Martha sat down in the living room, while William went over to the kitchen to get them some coffee. Before long, he returned to the living room carrying a tray with cups, spoons, a coffee pot, as well as some milk and sugar. After setting it down on the table, everyone got their own cup of coffee.

"So," Henry began as he leaned back. "What was it?"

William smiled at his friend and business partner. "It was a boy."

"Nice!" Henry said with a grin.

"Have you already picked out a name?" Martha asked.

William nodded. "Yeah, we're going to call him 'Evan'."

"After your grandfather, right?" Henry asked after taking a sip of coffee.

William nodded. "That's right."

"God, time really flies," Henry remarked with a chuckle. "It feels like it was just yesterday that we first started to mess around with robotics at the university."

William huffed a laugh. "I know what you mean. I can't believe we've come so far."

Henry nodded. "Yeah, business has really been booming." He cleared his throat. "Speaking of which, I have sort of a proposition for you."

Willing took a sip of his own coffee. "Oh?"

"You remember those new character designs I showed you last year?" Henry began.

"Of course I do," William replied.

"I was thinking that we could open a new restaurant with those characters as the main animatronics, and make it bigger and better than Fredbear's," Henry continued.

William grimaced. "Actually… I've been doing some thinking, and I would much prefer to go off on my own and open my own location. You know, one that I can run however I want."

Henry looked confused. "Wha— You don't want to be business partners anymore?"

"I mean, we'll still be co-owners of the diner," William noted. "I just want to have my own restaurant."

Henry gave William an incredulous look as he set down his coffee cup. "You do realize that would make us competitors, right?"

William shrugged. "I don't see anything wrong with that."

Henry let out a sigh. "Look, Will, you're the smartest person I know… but you don't have the mind for business."

William frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

Martha kicked Henry's shin and hissed, "Henry!"

Henry gave Martha and William a look of sincerity. "Look, I'm just saying it like it is." He leaned forward and continued, "Come on, Will. You know we're unstoppable when we're working together. You'll never make it without me."

William raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And you're insinuating that you'd make it without me?"

"Well, yeah," Henry replied. "Don't get me wrong, I'd much prefer to work with you, but there are a bunch of guys we knew from university who'd be able to fill your shoes."

"Well, in that case, it seems like you won't need me," William remarked.

Henry frowned. "Hey man, don't be like that. I'm just trying to look out for you."

"I appreciate it, Henry, but I've already set my mind to it," William replied.

Henry let out a sigh and then forced a smile. "In that case, I wish you the best of luck, buddy."

"And to you," William replied. Then, with a smile, he lifted his coffee cup and said, "To friendly competition!"

Henry smirked and held up his own cup. "To friendly competition!"