Author's Notes: I apologize for the wait but here it is. The next chapter, though it's really more of an interlude with the animatronics' point of views. I hope you can forgive teh long wait and I hope you enjoy the sneak peek into the animatronics' thoughts during the first week of Skylar's shift.
Interlude: Animatronics Point of Views
Sun:
When Ms. Winters had told Sun that there would be a new overnight security guard, Sun didn't show it, but he had been... unsure. After all, the last one before George started up the position again hadn't been great. He rarely did his job, sticking to the main atrium when Moon wasn't there. He had also made sure they knew he didn't want to be near them, nor did he like them. He believed the rumors- right to certain extents, very wrong in others. And they all knew it. It isolated them from him further than even other humans.
However, Catherine and George were good to them, and they felt the need to repay that so didn't mention anything. Catherine found out anyways and fired the guard when she had checked the cameras. He wasn't all that bright. So yes, Sun wasn't confident about the new one when he was mentioned. A sentiment they all shared. Would he treat them like monsters? Would he avoid them? Not realize they were, in fact, more than machines? It was something they were all concerned about.
So, Sun knew a new guard was going to be there in the coming days... They hadn't been informed when he would show up though. When Sun had heard a childish screech coming from the slide after sensors picked up on the movement of a small- to him- organic creature, he had feared a child had gotten locked in and after last time, well, he was worried. In fact, he very nearly sent a panic message to the others before seeing the source of the noise. It had been a small human- an adult, even if they were smaller than average- in the security guard uniform come flying from the slide. He relaxed immediately, realizing it wasn't a child, and observed the new guard.
The man was smiling like he was remembering happier times as he began to wade through the ball pit. Sun, against Moon's insistence not to, decided to risk it and jumped into the ball pit. He was surprised that the guard stayed in the pit and didn't frantically try to get out. In fact, he seemed rather relaxed. Until he had picked the guard up, finally getting a normal reaction... Only it was surprise, not fear, that had caused it his reaction. And having scanned the man, he could tell it was true from the vitals he had registered.
Then the man introduced himself and explained why he was there. Then listened- relaxed- as Sun excitedly called him friend and told him all about what happened in the day care. The man- Skylar- had called both him and Moon impressive for how well they had handled so many children, even if it was their job. Then the man had blushed in soft embarrassment at his new little nick name- Starlight. It had been adorable, especially for such a small human. Moon always did say he was easily won over by small things.
Then Skylar met Moon. And rather than fear him like so many others did, he instead treated him with the same respect he had shown Sun. Sun decided then that he would take a chance on this human, much like he had with George. And he soon realized that he liked Skylar. He also knew- even if it was denied- that Moon wasn't just tolerating the human either.
The duo had developed a fun rapport in a short time and would often talk a few times a night. It was... nice. Skylar wasn't afraid of them. Wanted to befriend them, even. And he could help with any issues they might have, meaning he could help keep them from being threats if anything like before ever happened again. Sun had a new friend and he liked that Skylar was happy in his position. After a few successful nights, Sun couldn't help but think things would be fine with this new guard.
Then he learned that the people who had been working with Skylar during those first -almost two- hours of his shift had been harassing him. Sun was furious, even if he hadn't acted like it around Skylar for fear of upsetting him. From what he could tell, the small human would have tried to defend them, anyways. He wouldn't even mention how worrying it was that Skylar had been entirely nonchalant about it. It was like their Starlight was used to that behavior and thought it was normal, or something. Of course, Sun was impressed and relieved to know Skylar wasn't so easily frightened but... it was unsettling that he hadn't defended himself against them nor told Sun about any of it.
'Probably because the silly thing either didn't think it was a big deal or didn't want to upset or worry us with it.' Sun realized later with Moon's help. Which was rather like the man once he thought about it. He would make sure Skylar knew he could come to him with his concerns though. And he'd be keeping an eye out for those night-shifters turned day-shifters... just to keep an eye on them, mind you.
Moon:
Moon had always known that Sun was the more... optimistic... of their duo. He knew that Sun was the more preferred of them, even if it was just because some of the kids didn't like naptime. Or because a few horror stories had gotten out about him and made their ways to the ears of the older children and adults. Either way, Moon tended to be less liked and either treated as such by others or his existence was just straight up ignored. Honestly, he wasn't too upset by this. He knew what he had done in the past and was just fine with interacting as little as possible with humans. Catherine and George being the exceptions for many reasons.
So when they had been informed that there would be a new overnight guard sometime later that week, he wasn't expecting much. He'd hate to lose George, who was more preferred to the other temporary night guards they had gotten before, but he could easily revert back to pretending he didn't exist for eight hours a night with little to no issue. Then the night came when the new guard started, and he had actually met the man.
Moon had also feared a child had been left behind when they had heard that childish screech of joy from the slide entrance. Moon was even more sure of it than Sun had been because he knew that George had access to the main door to enter and didn't like the slide -if only because he was bit on the bigger side- and couldn't slide down it as easily as a child or smaller adult. Moon knew that night guards had preemptive access to the main door so they would come in that way, not by the slide. So, he was also as- if not more- panicked than Sun was. He knew they had all been traumatized by what had happened all those years ago, for some reason they still had those memories despite nearly being in complete ruin after the fire.
And when he heard such a childish noise after hours, when the plex was already closed? Moon had almost, by instinct, deactivated himself to prevent the same experience that had so shaken him last time. Instead of a small child locked in, however, it had been a very small- to him- human adult in the guard uniform. It took him several long moments to calm himself as he processed that. As he processed the man talking with Sun like he was any other being from their shared conscious. It was something that Moon- and the others- had only really experienced with George and Catherine. It was new and he was happy for his more sensitive diurnal half.
When Moon had heard the sound of the lights starting to shut down, he just knew things were going to change. After all, talking to Sun was one thing. But him? Moon? That was never something anyone wanted to do. So imagine his surprise when the human merely greeted him and talked to him like he was a separate entity to Sun. Like he had with the other. Then he even went so far as to be considerate of Moon and how he wanted to do things instead of just making demands or decisions on his behalf. Moon got out as fast as he could, not quite sure how to react to a human so different from so many others, similar to George and Catherine but also so very different from them too. It wasn't something he wanted to look too closely at. Not right then, at least.
Moon used his first patrol to work through the interactions with the human, trying to determine if he could trust them. By the end of it though, he still wasn't sure if he even liked the guy. But when he went to find him and give him his first report... The guard had been so happy to see him when he had gotten lost in Fazer Blast. Moon would never admit out loud, but when the human had realized there were catwalks and had been so shocked, he couldn't help but think 'Adorable.' And Sun, who had had heard it, had jumped on that to further persuade his nocturnal half to give the new guard a real chance. Moon was embarrassed and left the human as quickly as he could. It wasn't like he could leave Sun and his teasing after all.
Then he had seen what had happened in Monty Golf. As a patrol unit himself, he had access to the cameras unlike most of the others. He had begun muttering under his breath at the human's inane plan to go through one of the more dangerous areas in the dark. What was wrong with him!? Then he witnessed Monty enter and decided to leave it to the gator. He knew Monty was just as reluctant to accept the new human, the horrors of his past actions and the accusations of his decommissioning Bonnie, of all of them to get his place in the band, had always been a personal difficulty for him to get over.
It especially wasn't helped by the virus screwing up his emotions meter and cranking his anger up to 10 without his permission. He could tell, keeping one eye on the cameras in Monty Golf, that Monty was trailing the human, probably in just as much disbelief as Moon at the human's foolish plan. Then the human had run into a railing and went sailing over it. Thank goodness Monty was there to catch him and keep him from getting hurt. He also rather enjoyed having the gator scold the guard for his recklessness.
The human was an interesting one, Moon had settled on eventually. Different even, from the two others that he trusted. And as the nights progressed, he found that he wasn't just tolerating the human. Not that he would be saying that he liked him, of course not. Skylar was just another human. But then he mentioned his harassers without any concern, unbothered by them, almost like he was used to such things all his life. The thought of those bullies causing this human to leave had been... unpleasant... and unsettling in their suddenness.
Moon wondered when he had gotten so attached without even realizing it. Then they heard about the crash and despite knowing that he was okay, Moon wanted to make sure of it. Him, not just Sun. And he had the gall to be apologetic at failing in some of his patrol duties. Though Moon noted that Skylar was not apologetic at helping the others who had gotten damaged. Moon decided he wanted to keep the human around after all. He wouldn't let those bullies chase him away... he'd just have to keep an eye on them it would seem. Warn them, maybe, about harassment being against the rules. They didn't want to be naughty, after all.
Foxy:
Foxy wasn't sure what to make of the new night guard. Honestly, it was a very undesirable position within the Faz Bear industry, even without their shady and spotted history. Naturally, as it had been with the other temporary night guards, this one had obviously been dared to take the position. Except, he hadn't been. As he got to know the human who wasn't afraid of him, he learned that this was a job the human had always wanted but hadn't been able too because they hadn't been ready after his graduation.
He even enjoyed the stories Foxy had to tell him of the children in Kids Cove. Once, the man had gotten so into one of his stories that he had fallen behind his patrol. And while Foxy felt a little bit guilty for it, the man didn't regret it and had adamantly told Foxy that he was a wonderful storyteller. Foxy could admit, the praise had warmed his circuits a bit. It was nice, having someone to tell his stories too. He found himself liking the human more and more.
When he heard about the issues that Skylar had to face those first few nights of his shift, he had been furious on the guard's behalf since the guard in question certainly wasn't getting upset on his own behalf. Foxy was also one of the ones that Skylar came to confide in about his concerns with the more reclusive animatronics. It was amusing to see him worry about how to befriend them of all things, instead of just trying to ignore them. He was putting in a great deal of effort. Especially considering that the guard had some form of social anxiety that was only a little better when talking with them than actual humans outside of Catherine and George.
But he also understood their takes on things and knew only Skylar could really get them to like him or at least accept him, in Bonnie's case. The bunny, Foxy could admit, had a very good reason for being on the offense as it were. And he knew that Bonnie would be the guard's biggest challenge, but until then, he'd help support the guard in his overtures. After all, there was just something about the little human that seemed to be drawing them to him. Foxy was certain that the guard would prove himself somehow on his own merits. And when the crash happened on Roxy's Raceway, he got a good start on it.
He hadn't been upset at them, hadn't shut them down to be transported, or even made them go on their own right away. He had been an absolute professional as he looked them over, helped Monty out, and then accompanied them on the trip to parts and service helping out the best he could. Foxy also knew that Moon's presence had been a big support to Skylar's credibility. After all, after Bonnie- who Foxy had noticed Moon was keeping a very close eye on as the human worked with him- Moon had the next greatest distrust of guards, closely followed by Monty who was really just scared of hurting another human as he had once before.
And as they all went off to do their own things so Skylar wouldn't be held back from his patrols for any longer, Foxy knew that they were all thinking about their new guard and what their perceptions of him were. Foxy had a feeling that Skylar would end up befriending all of them after all. The old fox just hadn't been aware of how deep that friendship would go.
The Band:
Freddy:
Freddy hadn't known what to think about the new security guard. Experience had all of them on edge around night guards and humans in general. They had taken longer than expected to get used to things again, and they were all thankful to Catherine and George for being as patient with them as they had been. But, after doing a quick scan just to check on his profile, he couldn't help his friendliness towards Skylar, the name on his profile.
He was... hopeful... about this one. He didn't get to spend much time with the new guard to get a sense of him though, as Freddy usually hung around either Monty or Bonnie, both who were not as open to the guard as he and most of the others were. And Skylar seemed to be accepting of that, though he was also nervous himself about approaching them. According to Foxy, Skylar had social anxiety which many of them were familiar with.
Freddy knew Monty was afraid of accidently hurting the new guard and was also worried about him being afraid of Monty for his well-known anger issues- ones he didn't have anymore, but the rumors from before were well-known even after the rebuilding. Monty wanted to be able to be close to the guard as the others were but was just too afraid to put himself out there, so instead, kept up a gruff facade and his distance.
He would have kept to it too, if the guard hadn't almost gotten injured on his first night by almost falling over a railing. When Monty had ranted to the rest of the band that night, with Foxy and Bonnie present, well, it had them all a little bit concerned for the man. Even Bonnie who had the least desire to have anything to do with their new guard. Freddy thinks they all subconsciously put a note in their programs to keep an eye on Skylar Sharpe.
A good thing, when he and Chica had been in the atrium and witnessed Skylar almost falling over a railing on the second floor, only for Foxy to catch him and scold him after ensuring he wasn't injured as he had been up there joining him on his rounds that night. Moon, Freddy later learned, had also scolded the guard for his clumsiness. Freddy knew the other was fond of the guard, despite his insistence that he wasn't. As the nights continued, Freddy found himself worried about the dynamic between Bonnie and Skylar- or the lack thereof one. He knew his friend was keeping the distance cold and slightly aggressive between them. But Freddy really felt this one could be the one to help his friend.
Out of all of them, Foxy was the one who understood best why Bonnie was so against night guards. In fact, they had once shared the same distrust of guards even when George, who they all liked, was doing the job. But Foxy liked this new one and Freddy worried Bonnie was going to feel isolated at this rate. Freddy was hoping that something would allow the bunny to accept him. Freddy is pretty sure it happens when they crash on the raceway and Skylar helps them all without a single complaint or grumble like so many others before had. Far too many years ago to count almost. And he thinks, seeing Moon worry over the guard- without seeming like it in his own way- and keeping a warning eye on the bunny was just rattling enough to knock Bonnie for a loop.
Chica:
Chica liked the new guard a lot. She was a lot like Sun in her ability to trust and be optimistic. She had bounced back quicker than the others after everything that had happened, and she was genuinely happier. She trusted Ms. Catherine's new coding and she loved the autonomy that they now had to develop their own personalities and styles so long as the protection of the children was foremost in their decisions. She could even change out her leg warmers and earrings without having to get the engineers help. How cool was that?
She genuinely thought Skylar was awesome. He didn't judge her for her desire to eat, even sharing a pizza slice with her a couple times during the rare times they met up and talked when she wasn't with Roxy, who wasn't sure about the new guy yet. She knew it probably had to do with his knowledge of her internal system upgrade that allowed her to eat, but it was nice anyways, unlike the ones before who would tell her she didn't need it because she was a robot, which rude! And mean!
Besides, even she could see the effort he was putting in to try and get comfortable with their less sociable fellows despite his own shyness and limitations. She also knew that he knew Monty, Bonnie, and Roxy weren't comfortable with him, or sure about him. And he respected that, rather than trying to intimidate and lord over them. Chica didn't think they were ever going to get luckier than Skylar in the night guard area. He wasn't afraid of them, he respected them, and even tried to befriend them like normal people. And he wasn't scared off by the horror stories that were still circulating around about them and the entire industry.
When were they going to get someone so sweet and adorable like this again? Probably never, if they were all honest with themselves. And Chica knew that they knew that... They just needed to open themselves up to the possibility of liking the man. And after the crash, watching as he worked on her friends and talked with them in an attempt to distract them from what was probably an uncomfortable procedure, she thinks that maybe they will. Though she could admit to herself and Foxy that when she saw the wary look Bonnie had on his face after Moon's warning glance almost made her laugh. Foxy, because he had almost laughed too. She was confident in what was to come.
Roxy:
Roxy did not want anything to do with the new guy, Skylar Sharpe. She was never a fan of the night guards outside of Geroge. They tended to be rude and condescending because they were alive and the rest of them were just robots. George had been the exception and she had like him. She just knew the new guard he mentioned would be just like the rest. But then he was there one night and was introducing himself to her like she was just another co-worker instead of a mere robot.
It had thrown her. She had only really gotten that level of respect from George and Catherine. It was weird. In just one go, he had thrown her world upside down and she wasn't sure how to deal with it. So she reacted by keeping a distance and being as off putting as possible. Surely this was just a onetime thing, or a glitch in her vision processors. Things would be understandable later. No one stayed civil to any of them for long outside of their two exceptions.
Only... that wasn't what happened. Even though he was nervous, Roxy knew it wasn't because she was an animatronic with an unfortunately violent history. They all knew he had social anxiety, one of the reasons he was a night guard, if she were to hazard a guess. But he not only accepted that she wanted as little to so with him as possible until she was more willing to approach, but when they did run into each other during his patrols, he continued to remain kind and... sweet, if she were to use the word Chica described him with.
On top of which, he noticed if she changed her hair and complimented it! She never really expected others to notice except for her fellow animatronics. And she found herself considering him more and more as he continued to be unafraid of her and the others. Accepting them, even, which is all they really wanted.
Then they crashed, and she found herself admiring the way he was so professional with them while also being kind and asking if they were okay. If they could move on their own or needed help to parts and service. Helped Monty instead of forcing him to walk on his own, something that all of them had witnessed happen before the fire at one point or another. And they talked- awkwardly at first, but more comfortably as the time passed and he was patient with them all. It was nice. Idly, she found herself wondering if he would let her play with his hair. She had plenty of ideas for it. Maybe later. Once she knew for positive that he wasn't going to disappear on them or change his tune suddenly.
Monty:
Monty wasn't afraid of the new guard. He was afraid for him. What if he broke this one? What if he lost control again and hurt him like he had others? No. He couldn't, wouldn't, let that happen. He decided that he would stay far from the new guard when he started, for both of their sakes. It shouldn't be a problem, after all almost none of the staff willingly approached him. Then the man did approach him and introduced himself. Like Monty was any other person and not a large animatronic gator that could snap him in half if he wanted. What was wrong with this guy? Didn't he know the stories that surrounded him? About the things he had done. His anger issues- even if he didn't have those anymore, he worried about them.
Maybe the man did. But it didn't stop him, and the man just smiled a little nervous but that- as he later realized- was because Skylar Sharpe had social anxiety. Not a fear of him. It was strange and new- Geroge and Ms. Winters had been unexpected exceptions. Monty and the others hadn't been expecting another one. It was terrifying, as much as he wouldn't admit it. But he knew the others felt the same way to various degrees.
He didn't know if the man, Skylar, was going to stay around though or was going to change his tune. So for the sake of his own hope, he stayed away... Or at least, Monty had tried to stay away. He hadn't been expecting the new guard to enter Monty Golf during the second lights off of the night. He certainly hadn't expected the human to have forgotten to charge his flashlight before entering the darkest attraction of the plex. And he wasn't expecting the man to walk through the attraction in the dark, unaware of the many risks around him. He followed, wanting to make sure the guard didn't get hurt. He knew the guard had caught sight of him on the cameras at some point, but that hadn't scared him. He had just accepted it.
Then he went and almost fell into the waterways below. An accident that would cause some decent damage, and he had rushed forward to catch the silly human who had done something as dangerous as walking around in the dark. Then, he lectured him which he hadn't planned on doing. And after that, he led the guard, who clung tightly to Monty's own claws, to the office. None of it had been planned, but it had happened. And, the gator reflected, he hadn't broken the fragile human. Maybe there was some hope for him after all?
The crash hadn't been pleasant in the slightest. Despite not feeling pain, when they did get damaged, they knew thanks to warning sensors and alarms that went to their visual hubs. It was how they knew if anything was wrong. And if wires were involved, it was uncomfortable, like something wasn't connected properly. He heard one of the guests mention prosthetics and after looking it up, he felt that was a close example of what severed wires felt like. He had known immediately that he was facing some serious damages in his leg. And he also knew that the guard had been watching the race. All three of the racers were aware of it, actually.
He thinks, on some level, they were doing it to see what he would do. Previous guards had always been... controlling and some had even demanded that they not do anything except stay in their rooms all night. They had also heard his prediction for the end of the race, and just knew that Roxy had perked up at the man's belief in her. That made his competitiveness spike and was sure it had done the same with Bonnie on some level. He was rather certain that the three of them went harder than needed. He realized the truth at the same time as the others when they made the last turn and crashed.
Monty would admit, he was expecting to have to walk to parts and service on an unusable leg to some degree as he knew other guards in the past had made some of the others do. He hadn't been expecting for Skylar, the guard, to actually do some emergency work so he could move with Freddy's help. He could feel when the uncomfortable feeling in his wires was gone, even temporarily. And then, he had stayed with them, talking and making sure everyone was okay. He wasn't angry, just... concerned for them. Then there was how he handled all of them when they were in the protective cylinder with him. He hadn't been afraid at all, just worried about their well-being and if they were comfortable. It had been nice, Monty thought.
He noticed how deftly the man worked, almost like he was meant to do this. Monty was glad for it. Then Moon showed up, and Monty was thrown for a loop. While he was pretty sure that Skylar didn't notice, the rest of them could tell that Moon was worried and concerned for the guard's well-being. And if he wasn't imagining things, which he knew he wasn't, he was pretty sure the nocturnal attendant was giving Bonnie a warning look for some reason. He winced internally.
They all knew that Bonnie had stayed the furthest from Skylar and had given him the most aggressive cold shoulder out of all of them. Obviously, Moon knew about it and was most worried about how he would react and treat Skylar, not the other way around. Monty felt it wasn't going to be a concern the other would have for much longer if the thoughtful air around Bonnie- and the rest of them- was anything to go by. As nervous as Monty was about whatever was going to come next, he found that he might actually be looking forward to it.
Bonnie:
Bonnie wasn't exactly thrilled when George told him that he and Catherine had finally found a full-time night security guard. Bonnie and night guards just, didn't mix, even if George was an exception. Something that wasn't really projected to out siders was that he, Chica, Foxy, and Freddy all had a base understanding of what had happened at the original pizzeria. It was almost like it was a file that carried over from one carnation to the next. And the files weren't exactly pleasant.
Night guards had always been a source of... something, for the animatronics of Freddy Fazbear Entertainment. Misfortune, maybe? Crises? He wasn't sure how to properly put it into words. Most night guards were just awful. They were condescending. They treated them like unintelligent things, rather than the advanced and intelligent A.I that they were. Guards found them creepy or disturbing to look at. And thanks to this, they had been prone to violent reactions to anything the animatronics did. Or would ignore them when they were needed. Because something unsettling happened, horror stories began to spread, and they started to get treated like monsters or cryptids rather than the child friendly entertainers that they were.
It didn't help when guards would mess with their coding out of curiosity and sometimes accidents would happen. Unfortunately, sometimes those accidents were fatal. Even with the higher ups of the franchise trying to keep those incidents either covered up, or to explain how it was the fault of the guards messing with what they shouldn't... Well, grieving families demanded retribution and it usually came with them being scrapped and repaired over and over again. So yeah, night guards and the animatronics didn't really mix.
When the guard had arrived that first night, Bonnie had been well aware of the guard watching in awe and interest at his game. It had been unnerving, however, just knowing that the guard was there and not saying anything. He was the first to break the silence, not expecting an apology and an explanation of not wanting to distract him from his game. Bonnie scoffed internally. It had definitely been too late for that! Not that he said it out loud. The guard seemed to get it anyways and left soon after that. Much to Bonnie's relief. He had not been comfortable with the interaction. After all, it hadn't gone as he had expected, and he had to think things through.
He still refused to have anything to do with the human as he observed him throughout the next few nights. Then the crash at Roxy's Raceway happened. That had been... Eye opening in a way that he hadn't expected. For one, the pride at the man's assessment of them. Even if he was annoyed for whatever reason that he thought Roxy would win. Then there was the crash, and he expected the walk to parts and service knowing it was a given when his vision hubs flashed a few warnings at him about damages.
Then he saw the extent of Monty's damages and winced, knowing that the gator's walk was going to suck and be really uncomfortable with severed wires of all things. But of course, that wasn't how things had turned out despite past instances indicating that was going to happen. The human had done emergency repairs there and then had asked Freddy to support the damaged animatronic to parts and service. On top of that, he had stayed with them in case of more emergency repairs being needed.
Things had been surprisingly... Good during the repairs. There wasn't any underlying fear- at least not from the human. Just worry form him. But Bonnie knew the rest of them had been unsure and on unsteady footing. The Moon had showed up and gave Bonnie a warning glare. And the bunny could admit that he deserved that. Especially with the way he had been treating the guard. That night and the next- since the guard was off- Bonnie decided, ultimately to give the guy a chance if he still wanted it. Who knew... Maybe it would end up being a good thing.
None of them had realized just how things would turn out in that regard.
Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this little interlude. Please leave a review with your thoughts! And thanks for your patience with me.