Day 5Ax3 - Ol' Big Ears

"How do you feel?"

"Hi." You say with a wave.

His eyes go wide. "Ahh! M-mont*bzttt* D-*bzt*-Don't hurt me! I*bzzt* didn't mean it! DON'T TOUCH ME!" He starts flailing in his seat, scrambling, trying to get away from you. His voice box sounded off. He was panicking and shouting incoherently.

He tried to get out of the chair but failed, having grown unfamiliar with movement. As he struggled to stand up, he fell, partially falling in-between the seat and armrest. You run to catch him. You hold his arm as he gets the other one free from in-between the handle and seat.

"Calm down, calm down. It's alright. You're safe. You're safe." You try your best to calm him. Memories were flooring him. Now realizing he was not facing Monty he beings to simmer down.

You allow him to regain his posture as he sits upright. He begins moving around, testing his hands out and checking his arms and legs. He's still slightly panicked so you give him a wide berth.

"Y-you gotta stop him-the-*bzttt*-himzz*bgtt*-member-M-m-m-Monty-he'*bbbzzzt*". There clearly was something wrong with his voice box. Maybe that chip was important? He was now shaking in fear. You get closer to him. "It's alright, we have Monty. He's not gonna hurt you anymore." You try to sound soft and help him relax. You place a hand on his arm. He flinches at first pulling his away. He stares at you at you, eyes wide and full of sadness.

"Urgh-I-Iurk" Bonnie coughs. He pushes you out of the way and throws up to the side, a light blue liquid emerging out his throat. It occurs to you that it was that dried battery fluid now warming up. You must have missed a spot. Bonnie coughs a few more times spitting up blue-ish drops.

He stops shaking and you just stay back and allow him to get out of his system. After a few minutes his shaking and fear begin to subside. He tries to sit upright, still struggling to do so. You continue to watch. He was still fidgeting a lot and suffering from a terrible bout of anxiety.

He finally looked around surveying his current whereabouts. Had he finally registered his surroundings? He looks to you and you notice that one of his eyes had gone lazy. A loose screw maybe.

Seeing how he wasn't panicking anymore, you feel it's time to talk now.

"How do you feel?" you ask.

"I can't *bzzt*-see." Maybe a screw was actually loose. His voice box also needed fixing.

"Let's start with your voice." You say.

"Could you open your chest up?"

"Mhmm." He mumbles and lies back. His chest pops open and but it appears to have a little trouble. You think the hinge could be jammed but it could also have been you screwing with it earlier. Plus he was probably still unfamiliar with moving. Sure enough his voice box was a little loose. You fix that. Righty-tighty, as the old adage says. You notice that while you were working on him his hands were twitching and shaking slightly. Monty must have done a number on him, you think.

You considered scratching his chin but you had no idea how he's react to it. Maybe when he was less hyper. You get out of his chest area.

"Now for the eye. Can you look directly at me?" Bonnie does so bringing himself down to your level. You could see clearly into his eyes. Like the other band members they were two white spheres with a black circle for the iris and coloured circle around it. Bonnie's was purple and it glowed slightly. The light was fading, it looked like he was crying. Or at best, trying to suppress it and stay strong. You didn't think the light was damaged, just that he was making it do that.

A screw was loose, just as expected. You fix it up and step away from him, allowing him to close his chest and lie back.

"How do you feel now?"

"Sore." He said as he stretched out his hands and fingers. His voice was higher pitched than yours, very chipper sounding. You could have sworn it sounded like a certain rabbit in a kids show. As he said that word he paused, a look of interest sprouting across his face.

"Odd. I sound...different." Bonnie says, finally noticing. He played around with his mouth. The words felt funny. "We had to replace your voicebox after the old one disappeared. Or was destroyed, I'm not sure." You say.

"Oh. Well I like this one."

"Good. It's mostly new parts I had installed." You felt like a doctor helping a former comatose patient.

As if on cue he starts to freak out again. His anxiety was rising. "The-the-others! You have to warn them. Monty's gone crazy! He-he's-" You hold up a hand to quiet him.

"Don't worry. We have Monty. It's under control. Let's just relax alright?"

"W-wait! Who are you? You aren't the technician! WHO ARE YOU?" He starts to get up. You didn't have time to react before he grabbed you by the scuff of your jacket and lifting you up. You see his eyes flash at you as he attempts to scan you.

Oh boy, talk about unstable, you think. You grab your tazer out and get ready to strike. Before you can however he puts you down.

"I-I can't reach the network! W-w-what's going on?" He says worryingly, glancing around like a trapped puppy.

This was getting out of hand. He wasn't listening to you. You let out a sigh and hide your tazer. "I'll explain everything. We have Monty. I know what happened. I know about the golf game. Just relax for a second, alright?" You wanted to shout at him but decide not to. He's been through enough.

That you knew about his death proved you weren't some random punk. That seems to get his attention.

He puts you down slowly. "Look, I know you've been through a lot but please, just take a seat and relax. I'll fill you in on everything."

"O-okay, sorry. I just-I-i-"

"It's okay." You say softly. He sits back down on the chair, still twitching slightly.

Now Playing...

Artist: James Asher

Song: Commerce

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZIBAD1wNi0

"My name is (Y/N). I am the new head technician here. I'm the one that put you back together. If anything's off let me know. We'll get to what happened in a bit. First I want to ask you some questions." You take out one of the documents left by the rep.

"Do you know who you are?" Within the documents left tonight they had a series of questions to ask him upon turning him on. A so-called 'memtest'.

"I am...Bonnie. I play bass in the band." It took him a second to recall that. You hoped his memory wasn't damaged.

"Alright, that's correct. How do you feel aside from shaking?"

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"My-my servos are all mixed up, my head hurts. I-I can't reach the n-network." He said. He seemed slightly dazed. You're sure you didn't screw anything up.

"Well it's mostly new parts. They'll take some time to get used to. How is the wiring, is your battery working, can you feel okay?"

"It's fine and..." He trails off as he scans himself. "Everything is functional."

"Can you connect to the Fazbear network?"

He pauses and does something internally. "I-I can't. I can't reach the database." Unsure if it was the network or Bonnie you check your watch.

It displayed a warning on it.

ACCESS TO NETWORK LIMITED.

TCP HANDSHAKE FAILED.

UNABLE TO REACH CENTRAL DATABASE.

OPERATING IN P2P MODE ONLY.

WIMAX FALLBACK MODE ENABLED.

Unsure of what exactly that all meant you figure it means you can make calls and that's it. Maybe this area just had bad reception.

"Huh, it looks like the network might actually be down. Alright, don't worry about that for now." His mind had successfully stopped replaying his final moments. He was calming down. At least, that's what you thought.

"Y-you have Monty right? H-he-urk" He spat out a gear. You hoped it wasn't important.

"Yes. He's apologized for what he did. He won't hurt you."

"A-are you sure? They did something to him last night. He was acting all weird yesterday. You need to look at him. They did something-" You hold a hand up to shush him.

Bonnie's perception of time had reset. You think. He was still thinking as if only a day had passed.

You had no idea how to approach this. Bonnie's internal clock had reset. For him he had only been destroyed yesterday when in reality it had been out for far longer. Well no beating around the bush you think. You just say it.

You sigh. "I'm not sure how to put this but...it's been a year and a half."

He looks at you in disbelief. As the reality of the statement sinks in his eyes go wide. At first, with fear, then with sadness.

He had been out for over a year.

"Y-you can't be s-serious."

"I'm sorry."

"I-but-but why didn't they fix me?"

"I-" You sigh again.

The next 30 minutes were heavy. You gave Bonnie a condensed version of Monty's testimony, people vanishing, why no technicians had been hired, how you came to fix Bonnie, his body disappearing and re-appearing, the events over the past few days and how the rep was pushing for Bonnie to come back.

You even briefly gloss over the SB-9 incident just referencing that it was also major reason they couldn't fix him. And also that the plex burned down. And also Monty, Roxanne and Chica were nearly destroyed. A lot had happened.

Of all the things you told him none seemed to have bothered him as much as the fact that nobody had fixed him, let alone find him. You forget to mention Freddy's whole ordeal.

"And that's about what happened. Then I plugged you in and turned you on. I'm sorry, I really am but that's the gist of it."

Bonnie just sighed and leaned back in the chair. "The band, my course, my treats....All forgotten then." He closed his eyes. "Why even bring me back? I have nothing anymore."

He sobbed quietly.

"Nobody remembers me. And Monty got what he wanted. What kind of sick joke is that? He was like a little brother to me? H-how could he do that?"

He turned over the chair, away from you.

"I'm all alone now."

Like a light bulb going off above you, you realized what needed to be done. You rummage through your pockets pulling out the empty packet of Bonnie Bites. They weren't half bad.

"You're not forgotten. Here, look what I was given." You hand the purple bunny the torn bag.

"When Freddy learned I was fixing you he was ecstatic, wouldn't stop asking about you. Chica and Roxanne were happy too. Freddy's been out there the last few days telling all the kids you're coming back." That last part had been a lie but surely kids had to have been still asking about him. Knowing Freddy the whole plex probably knew.

He stares at the bag, then at you, eyes swelling up. The lights in his eyes were blinking.

"The rep-er-my boss has a whole plan about bringing you back in the band." Bonnie takes the empty bag of sweets.

"Look, they wouldn't have hired me if they didn't want you back. Plus...I'm a fan. I've been enjoying working here so much I took a full-time gig while I was fixing you up."

You half considered making some story up about how Monty volunteered to take his spot in memory but it would be mighty awkward later if he figures out the truth.

Snapping you from your thoughts Bonnie suddenly grabbed you and pulled you up into a hug. "Thank you." He said quietly as he squeezed you. Your arms were pinned otherwise you would have hugged back. The spray hadn't worn off and he still smelled of lavender.

He was squeezing tight enough to cut breath. You let him hug you for a few moments more. So as to not pass out you tap Bonnie's side a few times. "Can't breathe." You whisper.

"Oh! Sorry! I'm so sorry!" He quickly puts you down and pats your head a few times.

After a minute he put you down.

"Alright, feeling better now?"

Even though the animatronics couldn't cry you figure they must have had some feature in them that made simulated it. Bonnie wiped his eyes and blinked a few times.

"A bit." He voice cracked a bit upon speaking. He was sounding slightly better. Of course you couldn't blame him. Above all he would need time to re-adjust and familiarize himself. You intended to be there every step of the way.

So what do we do now?"

"Well, before we get to that I have one more question I want to ask." You put the rep's suggestion paper away. He was functioning just fine.

You wanted to know if he remembered anything after the 'incident'. "After you fought Monty..did you remember anything else?"

"What do you mean? After Monty...beat me...I-I can't remember anything after that part."

"So like, nothing involving chasing a kid or commanding the band members, nothing like that?" Bonnie just shook his head.

"I remember seeing...visions, pictures and images...but they're all a blur. It seems just a second ago and forever ago."

"Huh, alright. It's just that two of the animatronics say they saw you a year ago."

Bonnie twiddled his thumbs. "Well, I remember something from before Monty attacked me. A few weeks back, or I guess year...some endos they tried to grab me but the night guard stopped him. I guess they got to Monty instead. But I don't remember anything after I saw Monty. Nothing..I can recall."

He was stuttering as he tried to remember the events post-Monty. Something had happened but whether erased or unavailable he could not recall.

"I see. Well, nevermind that. What matters is that you are back." It looked like your work was done. Now you just needed to 'test-drive' Bonnie and make sure he was functional. Roxanne mentioned having something set up for him earlier. Now that you had her number you decide she would be the first person he would meet.

"I'm just going to call Roxanne. She said she wanted a warning before we go up." You dial her number.

No response. Location listed as Raceway. Maybe that's where the party was going to be?

She could have been fixing a cart which is why she wouldn't have her watch on, you rationalize. You try Monty's number. He should be with her right?

No response. Location listed as Monty's Golf. Maybe Monty had gotten distracted. You doubted he kept his watch on and maybe that it just happened to be there.

Unsure you try both Freddy's and Chica's numbers but there was likewise no response. Bot their locations were listed as Rockstar Row and the Fazcade. You knew that Freddy had to have has his own but he must have been distracted by something. You didn't think that Sun or the DJ would be interested in whatever they had planned so you chose not to call them.

Maybe they were all planning a surprise party for the both of you?

Unsuccessful so far you dial Vanessa's watch. No response. Location listed as the Raceway. So that was two Raceway's maybe that's where they all were? You were confused by the lack of anybody answering.

"You're sure Monty is okay right?" Bonnie says as you prepare to dial Vanessa's number again.

"Yeah, apparently he'd been extremely well behaved today. Keep this between us but Monty's even trying to learn a new instrument so you could come back as bassist."

"Really?! Aw, that's so nice."

Sternly you say, "Don't tell him though. It's supposed to be a secret."

"My lips are sealed!"

Where was everyone, you think. You dial Vanessa's number again, no response.

"What's going on?"

"That's strange, I can't reach anyone."

"It could be the network." Bonnie suggests.

"Yeah but it says 'Calls Only'. Nobody's picking up."

"Oh, maybe they're planning a surprise!" Bonnie says enthusiastically.

"Maybe." You say.

That was a possibility, you think. Maybe they were all just too busy. Either way your work here was done. You decide the best course of action was to take Bonnie back to the office and show him the hat. Maybe then you could reach someone.

You guess the dome had some kind of interference and maybe that's why you couldn't reach anyone.

"So what now?" Bonnie asks.

"We're going to head back to the workshop. There was something I was told to show you. Then we'll try calling again."

"Ooh, what do they want to show me?" You figured Bonnie was back to his old self now, not that you knew what it was but you could see now how Bonnie's personality fit with the other band members.

He walked at your side eyes looking around at everything in the area.

"It's just how I remember it. Do you know if anything else has changed?"

The two of you left the cylinder and made for your 'office'.

"I don't know, I only stepped foot here for the first time like 4, 5 days ago."

"Really?" Bonnie was in disbelief. "You've never come here before? What about the other restaurants from back then?"

"Uhh, nope. I don't usually go to restaurants."

"So you haven't tried any of the food? Or been on any of the rides or games?" This was shocking Bonnie as much as when he woke up.

"No, well I helped Roxanne fix a kart a few days ago. Oh! And I played bowling with Freddy the other day."

Bonnie grabbed you hand and you stopped. He bent down to look at you in the eyes. "After this night is over you gotta come during the day and play with us, okay?" He looked genuinely concerned.

"Sure. I work here now so I'll have some time."

He let go of your hand. "Perfect! I can't wait!" He said adding a bounce in his step.

As the two of you reach the area outside your office you stop, noticing 2 objects on the ground. Bonnie continues walking but you grab his arm stopping him.

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The next chapter will be called Freddy's Partner in Crime.