Michael was already unsettled when he walked through the front door, seeing as Freddy was facing him as soon as he entered the main party room, smiling.
He slowly passed through the building into the office, holding his breath until he sat down.
Soon enough, 12 AM would strike, and the building seemed to get a tad bit colder. Michael turned around, and looked at the wall behind him, expecting to see something stare back at him, but saw nothing. All he heard was a soft chuckle with no source.
After the chuckle, however….
Something happened.
Michael’s head instantly started to hurt. Weird noises filled his head, and as he blinked, he could see faces…. Among the noise, he could hear whispering, whispering that he couldn’t make out for a little bit. But then he made out the words, “IT’S ME” He put his hands over his ears, and closed his eyes. He felt trapped, alone, and cold.
“It's me, Michael. Don’t you remember?”
When he opened his eyes…. He was in the office….. But it felt different…. The place looked older, drawings he hadn’t seen for a long time laid across the walls. They were all so different, some with Bonnie, some with Chica, and quite a lot with Freddy. The monitor (which was now placed at the front of the desk) looked rectangular, and he felt like he’d… seen it before. He stood up, and got a closer look at a curious set of drawings, each with a single yellow rabbit. Each image had “My fun day” written in crayon. What disturbed him, the more he looked, was the fact that the yellow rabbit seemed to be… calling each of the stick figure children to some unnamed room, with a giddy smile plastered on the rabbit’s wax face, almost seeming… fake, exaggerated. He could tell that this rabbit wasn’t really their friend, merely using them to meet its own goals.
The last thing Michael noted…. was the CELEBRATE poster at the top left of the office. The animatronics looked…. different. A sky blue rabbit winked at the camera, giving it a thumbs up while leaning on the guitar, a light brown bear spread his arms wide, with a welcoming smile, and the chicken held up a cupcake, smiling cheerfully.
Then he noticed his monitor, which was completely covered in static. Rather than the layout of the building being present on the keyboard at the bottom of his screen, where it was meant to be, it was… tapped on the camera itself. But the weirdest part he could note, was the timer on the right. It read “4 AM. NIGHT 4”
Night 4.…?
He turned around, and realized that this was someone else. He watched the other night guard with Jeremy on their hat’s gold plaque boredly looking at the cameras. He watched for a few minutes, until Jeremy paused, and turned around. He was looking at the vent behind him. Michael couldn’t see what Jeremy was looking at… until the dull blue eyes became visible.
“Hey… uh Fritz? Which one has blue eyes?....” ‘Jeremy’ asked, starting to sweat as he fumbled for something.
….Fritz….? Why was that name so familiar?
Fritz didn’t seem to respond, but another voice did, deep and baritone, but with obvious power, like he was used to being in charge.
“How could you forget your pal, Freddy Fazbear, Jeremy?” the voice asked, slowly getting closer to Jeremy.
Jeremy flew into a panic, looking for something faster, until Freddy, now more withered and gruesome-looking, stepped out of the vent. He tilted his head, and smiled a cruel smile, before grabbing Jeremy by the back of his shirt.
“… I don't suppose I could… Walk out right now? And absolutely find the damned mask…"Jeremy quivered, trying to get the paw off of his shirt.
“How polite of you to ask! Unfortunately, I can see through your disguise… I’m not like those other fools.” Freddy taunted as he let out a chuckle
“Oh great, another Foxy. I’m-”
Freddy slammed Jeremy into the wall, and narrowed his eyes. Michael cringed as he heard a crack in Jeremy’s back.
“DON’T COMPARE ME TO THAT SIMPLETON! ALL OF THEM ARE DIMWITS FOR ME TO USE TO MY OWN ADVANTAGE!” Freddy snarled, changing his grip on Jeremy to around his throat.
“I don't believe it’s normal to talk to animatronics who are probably going to kill you is it? Uh… flashlight…”
Freddy shoved Jeremy harder into the wall. A sigh was heard from the phone, the voice sounding grim.
“Didn't even get his first paycheck.”
Michael paused… that voice… sounded so… familiar.
“Now… how about we play a little game, you and I?” Freddy turned towards the phone. “It’s nice to see you too, Michael.”
“I doubt we’ll meet again. It was an honor working with you, Jeremy.”
The phone clicked, and the line fell silent.
Jeremy struggled and struggled, trying to free himself. Freddy just laughed.
“You can’t persist, Jeremy…. Now… Why don’t we head to Parts and Service? We can begin our little game there!”
Michael didn’t want to follow along, but he was almost forced to. He watched in horror as Freddy carried Jeremy into the parts and service room, and closed the door.
It was silent for a few minutes… and then blood curdling screams, as well as the snaps and cracks of the bones that followed, started. Michael cringed, and backed away. This… he remembered this… but why?
Everything fell silent after about a minute. Then, Freddy exited the room, smiling. “Didn’t even get his first paycheck.”
Michael risked a glance into the room, but he wished he didn’t. It was so… awful. A simple black rabbit suit sat in the room, twitching slightly, blood pooling around, specifically around the joints. He wanted to vomit, but he couldn’t.
He turned, and saw Freddy finally leave and make his way towards a different room, walking out as if nothing happened.
Suddenly, Michael’s mind started to numb again. Before he blinked…. and he was back in his office. The dull, red clock read 2:35 AM. he looked around blankly, trying to grasp what he’d seen. He felt like that was something he should remember… but it was clouded and dim.
Michael turned on the cameras to the stage… and noticed Bonnie and Chica were gone, which was to be expected. Flipping through the camera, he saw Chica in the Dining Area, by herself. She stood there, looking around, almost… in terror.
Michael didn’t have time to question it. He would check Pirate’s Cove.
Foxy was peeking out of the curtains, staring directly at the camera. Michael made sure to keep an eye on the fox, before checking the other cameras. Bonnie was in the small Supply Closet, which Michael kept in mind. In case he heard footsteps.
Flicking back to the Dining Area. He saw Chica by her lonesome… but not for too long.
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That was when Michael heard a small, but loud belly laugh, Michael knew that laugh. It seemed that the brown bear had finally taken matters into his own paws. It seemed Chica had heard it too, as she quickly turned toward the stage.
Michael couldn’t see Freddy. However, what he did see was two pinprick silver eyes in the darkness, staring at both the camera and Chica, who now had a nervous expression on her face. Chica scuttled off, leaving just Freddy in the room.
Freddy kept sitting there, still staring at the camera… at Michael. Freddy moved, and the camera feed went static, but he could hear Freddy’s laugh get closer.
When the cameras came back on, the bear was gone completely. Michael quickly scooted through the cameras, and eventually found the bear entering the bathrooms, once again finding Chica there as well. Freddy turned toward Chica and smiled, but not in a friendly way. Chica shuddered, but said nothing.
Michael would check back to Pirate’s Cove, only to find Foxy gone. That’s when he heard the sprinting, quickly shutting the door as Foxy banged furiously.
“YAR, LET ME IN YA PIECE OF SH-”
Michael looked at the door as the banging got louder. The only issue? The power was being drained because of it. The laughter of Freddy grew louder, and a faint music box playing a song Michael dimly remembered filtered from the kitchen. It was evident Foxy heard it too, as he made a low whine, almost similar to a whimper, sound. Michael was confused. Weren’t they allies?
Foxy’s metal feet thudded against the floor as he wandered off, and Michael opened the door. This was getting strange. Laughter sounded from the hallway… but it sounded more… like a child's laughter… and it wasn’t the right hallway either.
“What now….?” Michael asked himself as he checked the West Hall Corner camera, labeled CAM 2B. The poster that had Freddy on it had changed, instead it was a simple yellow bear without eyes in its sockets, staring blankly on. Michael’s head started to hurt again, a dull throb.
And that was when he lowered his monitor…
Looking up, he then saw the golden yellow bear, staring at him. Its head was limp, like the suit was… empty. His eyes scanned its yellow fur, but when he reached its muzzle, he froze. The blood on the snout was… fresh, like it had recently bitten into something. Michael wanted to stop looking at it, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Michael fumbled behind him for something, anything to throw at it, and his hand fell on a spare desk fan. He grabbed it, and threw it at the suit, but it just passed through. Michael started to panic more as pale, almost human eyes slowly appeared in the suits sockets, and the bear started to stand.
That was when something began to buzz in Michael’s ears… it sounded like a roar of some sort. Michael closed his eyes, and waited for the pain of death, but nothing came. He opened his eyes, but saw nothing. The suit was gone, and he was free… or so he thought. Michael was roughly shoved out of his chair.
Michael then looked up, and saw the smiling bear staring down at him.
“How very interesting.” Freddy then turned toward the right door, to a frightened Chica, sadistically smiling, “I thought you said this was simply a returning patron?”
“Well, I wasn’t wrong, right? He does always come back here, after all”
“Shut up.” Freddy let out a quick retort toward Chica, but then his demeanor changed as he stared at Michael, changing to his trademark smile. “These idiots led me right to you.”
Michael took deep breaths as he panicked. The bear giggled, and lunged for Michael almost instantly, his bloodlust visible through his eyes. Michael yelped, and would quickly move out of the way. Freddy would stare Michael down, chuckling.
Freddy, without warning, suddenly grabbed Michael around his throat, and held him in the air, laughing quietly as Michael struggled.
Michael struggled and struggled, he needed to get any part of his body free to defend himself. He managed to tangle his arm out of Freddy’s grasp. He then lurched his elbow back as quick as he could for a jab and…
Squeak!
Freddy would suddenly drop Michael, who landed on the ground with a hard thud, and look down at him in a mix of shock and disgust.
“Your nose… squeaks?” Michael asked, sweating. Normally, Michael would’ve died laughing, but now, he still felt afraid of the towering bear.
Freddy suddenly snarled, his cocky and mature expression broken with his teeth barred, “...YOU BASTARD!! GET THE HELL OVER HERE SO I CAN BREAK THOSE FUCKING FINGERS ONE AT A TIME!!”
Michael took the cue, and stood up, running down the hallway. Bonnie, who was just outside, mustered nothing but a grimace, and shook his head at Michael. Foxy just stared, his eyepatch up, conveying surprise, and Chica peered around the corner in her own surprise. .
Freddy would leave the office just as quickly as Michael, loud and quick metallic thuds behind the latter. Michael felt like he’d done this before, but he didn’t have time to comprehend it. Michael ignored the numbing pain in his left arm, which he deducted he had landed on when Freddy dropped him.
Freddy was growing closer, his feet thudding louder against the tile. Over the footsteps, Michael heard a very colorful string of words, consisting of mostly curse words, and in a fashion that would make any pirate proud.
“GET THE FUCK BACK HERE YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!! I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE ALL THOSE YEARS AGO!”
Michael was…. Unnerved. Freddy’s usually mature and calm demeanor was gone, replaced with unfettered rage. Michael kept running, going full circle back to the office, and closing both doors. Freddy slammed his fists against the door, and swore loudly, but didn’t do anything else..
Michael noticed the other animatronics were gone. Michael would flip the camera to find the others. Bonnie and Chica were desperately trying to fake being asleep on stage, but it wasn’t convincing, seeing as Bonnie had one of his eyes slightly open.
Michael would then flip to Pirate’s Cove. The Curtain was closed, with a hook on top of the out of order sign. The hook tapped it, as if pointing to it, before returning to behind the curtain.
Michael then stared at the time, 5:55. He took one last look outside the office, at Freddy, who was fuming, staring Michael dead in the eyes. He bared his teeth one last time, and stomped off.
The next five minutes were silent, as the bell chimed. Michael was too scared to even come back tomorrow night, but he knew he had to… Something was drawing him to this place.
*
Dead silence.
It was almost as if every animatronic was staring at the backstage door, as they heard loud and furious banging.
Bonnie stared at the door awkwardly, a look of concern and regret on his face, while Chica tried her best to ignore it. Foxy peered out of Pirates cove, while trying to stay as hidden as possible.
After a bit, the loud banging stopped. And the door to the backstage opened, with Freddy stepping out and staring down the group… too calmly. Foxy hid back in Pirates Cove.
“Last night was interesting. Wasn’t it!?”
Bonnie nodded, avoiding eye contact. He’d never seen Freddy get like that, but it confused and concerned him. Chica said nothing, and Foxy loudly shouted something about not being home.
Freddy didn’t take that well, he slowly walked over to the cove and ripped it open. “Let me tell you a little something I noticed.”
Freddy walked over toward the fox.
“Oh, no need, Captain, I saw it all through me own eyes-”
The fox was interrupted by Freddy suddenly grabbing and squeezing him by the neck with a grip as hard as nails, “SHUT UP!”
“YAR, WATCH ME NECK, TIS VERY FRAGILE”
“WHAT’S STOPPING ME FROM SNAPPING IT IN TWO RIGHT NOW!?”
“Good point, good point.”
Freddy snarled, making it very clear to Bonnie and Chica that Foxy was getting on his last sane nerve. Bonnie nodded, and Chica looked away slightly, but gave him a weak thumbs up.
Suddenly, Freddy would violently yank Foxy up then throw him out of the cove, into a table. Foxy landed with a hard yelp and a loud crack audibly heard. Seemed Freddy snapped something in one of Foxy’s joints.
“CAPTAIN WE OPEN IN HALF AN HOUR, SAILOR TIME… WHICH FOR YE MEANS… HALF AN HOUR!”
“You're getting on my final nerve, pirate. I recommend shutting your damn snout, before I tear it off” Freddy turned toward Bonnie and Chica, “Do you two wanna add anything?”
“N-no sir!” Bonnie whimpered.
Freddy turned toward Chica, walking up to her aggressively, “How about you?”
“Never have, Never will.”
“Good girl.” Freddy chuckled, but it was far from friendly, before turning to Foxy, “Get yourself cleaned up, pirate. I have plans for Michael, so don’t get in my way.”
Freddy would walk off into the kitchen rather than backstage. The rest of the group exchanged worried looks, but said nothing.