The New Face of Fun chapter 1

	Jeremy Fitzgerald sat nervously in the driver’s seat of his car. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles white. Trying to distract himself, he checked his reflection in the rearview mirror. A couple of light smacks to try to get rid of the sleepy look he always had and he was as ready as he'd ever be. Inhaling deeply, he steeled his nerves and opened the door. A quick stretch of his legs and he was out of his car. Reminding himself to not slouch for once, Jeremy locked his car and walked across the dark parking lot.

	Here he was. Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. One of the only places in town willing to hire a recent high school graduate like him, and the only one that also had an opening for the night shift.

	“Okay Jeremy, you can do this.” After muttering this to himself, Jeremy clenched his fists, puffed out his chest, and walked through the front door.

	It took a moment for Jeremy’s eyes to adjust to the harsh artificial light inside. The first thing he noticed was the collection of a dozen tables in the room he had entered. To his right was a stage, on which three animatronics that he only vaguely recognized stood dormant. To his left was a prize corner, walls adorned with overpriced off-brand toys.

	While Jeremy was looking around unsure of himself, two men entered the room from a hallway opposite where he stood. One was a bit shorter than Jeremy. He was slightly chubby, looked to be only a few years older than Jeremy himself, and his blond hair was a mess of curls. His companion walked slightly behind him. Incredibly average looking with a dark, receding hairline, he appeared rather preoccupied with the stack of papers in his hands.

	The blond man spotted Jeremy and made a beeline towards him with his companion trailing close behind, smiling widely upon reaching him. “Welcome!” he exclaimed, holding his hand out, “You must be Jeremy.” Jeremy stared awkwardly at his hand before reaching out to shake it.

	Jeremy responded tentatively. “That’s me. I’m here to start job as the night shift guard.”

	The man’s smile seemed to stretch even wider at this. “Wonderful! The name’s William. I’ll be showing you the ropes.”

	Jeremy looked over to the other man questioningly. William followed his gaze and saw where he was staring. “Don’t mind ol’ Phineas here. He’s a bit of a workaholic.”

	William proceeded to slap the other man, Phineas, on his back. Phineas let loose a startled yelp and fumbled with his papers, only just managing to not drop any of them. Looking up, he finally noticed Jeremy. “Oh, um, hello. I’m Phineas, the manager here at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. If you need anything, just ask William or I and we’ll help you any way we can.” Jeremy recognized his voice from the short interview he did over the phone when he first applied for the job.

	Phineas then looked back down at his papers, shuffling them around and mumbling under his breath. As he slowly meandered to the door and shut off the lights, William put a hand on Jeremy’s shoulder and started guiding him through the now dark room.

	“Listen, I know you’re nervous. There’s no need to pretend like you’re not. I was in your position a few years back and I was practically shaking in my boots! Just relax. There’s nothing to worry about.” Jeremy chuckled hesitantly, but did as William said and relaxed. The slouch made a return, and Jeremy ran some fingers through his dark hair.

	“Sorry, it’s just that this is my first job and I wasn’t sure what to expect,” he said. Jeremy wondered how well he hid his anxiety. Judging from the brief grin that William couldn’t quite hide, not well enough.

	They finally reached the hallway across from the restaurant’s entrance. Peering down it, Jeremy could see a room at the far end with ‘Parts and Service’ written on it. One side of the hall was plastered with crayon drawings. Opposite from them were the bathrooms.

	William’s grip tightened on Jeremy’s shoulder as he spoke. “I can assure you, pal, that this will be nothing like you expected.” Jeremy gulped. That sounded ominous. Turning left upon reaching the end of the hall, Jeremy could see two rooms to either side of him, as well as one at the far end of the hallway.

	William angled his head towards Jeremy and snickered at the look on his face. “No need to look so grim, buddy. Phineas and I both worked security at night and look at us now!” A frown appeared on his face. “Well, look at me, at least. I’m gonna be out of here soon enough doing great stuff with my life. Phineas is a great guy and all, but he’s got no…” William twirled his hand, “Ambition, you know?”

	Jeremy wasn’t sure to say to all that, so he latched onto what he figured was a safe question. “You both worked the night shift?”

	“Of course! You didn’t think any old schmuck would be showing you around, did you?” William winked. “Phineas worked nights at the old location, but I started working here. I needed a job to help pay my way through college after the grocery store I worked at closed down, and here was as good as anywhere else.” An air of nostalgia filtered into his voice. “I graduated last spring and I’ve been meaning to quit ever since, but something about this place just won’t let me go.” Pacing ahead of Jeremy down the hall, William spread his arms wide. He seemed as though he were trying to embrace the entire building. “I moved to the day shift last week to ease my transition out. I miss the peace and quiet of working nights, but working with children can be enjoyable, too."

	Jeremy gave a small hum at that. "I don't know how you do it. I don't hate 'em or anything, but I can't stand to hang around little kids for long."

	William shook his head and returned to looking at Jeremy. “This isn’t about me, you know." A hand rose and a finger pointed. "This is about you. I’m here to show you the ropes.” He then snorted. “Not that there’s much to say.”

	It was at this point that they finally reached the room at the end of the hall. Stepping through the entrance, William swept his hands through the air as though he was unveiling a masterpiece. “Feast your eyes on the place your ass will be parked for the next six hours.”

	Jeremy rolled his eyes and stepped past him to examine the room. To either side of him was a pile of monitors. Two square holes, one on each side of the room, were just past them. Posters and children’s drawings adorned the walls above them. A dingy light and some colorful streamers hung from the ceiling. Pushed against the back wall was a desk, covered in both loose and balled up paper. A fan was placed on it as well, slowly spinning and providing a monotonous hum. The back wall was lined with filing cabinets.

	“So, what do you think of your office?” Jeremy jumped a little bit. He had forgotten William was there for a moment.

	“It looks… alright?”

	William let out a bark of laughter. “You don’t need to lie. This place has always been dull and dingy, or at least since I started working the night shift here a couple of years ago. Anyways, just sit tight here, look through your security monitor to make sure nothing bad is happening, and try not to die of boredom. Easiest paycheck you’ll cash in your life.”

	Jeremy nodded his head in understanding. “Sounds easy enough. Anything else?”

	A corner of William’s mouth turned upwards. “Well, buddy, the thing that separates this job from any other is the animatronics.”

	“What, do people try to steal them a lot or something?” Jeremy felt a trickle of anxiousness return. How was he supposed to handle something like that?

	“You’ll see soon enough. It’s almost time for your shift to start, actually. Good luck.” With a low bow, William made to leave the room before stopping suddenly. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention. Make sure you keep the music box wound." Having said his piece in a suitably mysterious manner, he left the room and jogged to the end of the hall. Bouncing blond curls rounded the corner before vanishing.

	Jeremy was nervous again after that final exchange.  His mind raced as he tried to figure out what William meant. He ran through what he could remember about the animatronics. Unfortunately, all he really had to go over was what little learned from news segments half paid attention to and griping from classmates who's younger siblings dragged them to the pizzeria. Maybe if this place was more like Fredbear's he wouldn't feel so much like a fish out of water. That place was a godsend to him back in elementary school. Then again, maybe working there wouldn’t help much either. He only had vague memories of that time anyways.

	Jeremy shook his head and forced himself back on track. He knew that the animatronics were really advanced, able to walk around off the stage and capable of holding conversations and recognizing faces. Jeremy felt like smacking himself. Of course thieves would be all over this place. Technology that remarkable probably cost a boatload.

	Jeremy forced himself to calm down and sat at his desk. Feeling his foot bump against something, he looked underneath the desk and found a cardboard box. The perfect distraction for his nerves. Sliding it out and ignoring the coat of grime, Jeremy opened it up and rummaged around inside. It was full of old junk. A bear mask, a massive flashlight, some half-eaten candy bars, an empty bag of chips, and a tablet.

	Hefting the tablet out first, Jeremy felt around the edges until his fingers found a raised surface. Pressing down on it lightly, he heard a click as the tablet booted up. A grainy view of the stage was his reward.  The lower right corner of the screen had an outline of the restaurant with boxes labeled with CAM and a number. The top right told the time. 11:54 PM. William wasn’t lying when he said the shift was about to start.

	Fiddling with the tablet led Jeremy to the discovery that he could change cameras by tapping on the boxes with his finger. First the animatronics, now this. What kind of time machine did all this stuff pop out of? Remembering William's warning, he switched to camera 11. Through the static Jeremy could see the prize corner. A very large gift box sat unopened the the middle of the screen. A finger held down on the box labeled "Wind Up Music Box" and he was free to continue fiddling. However, Jeremy quickly grew bored of flipping through the cameras and put the tablet down. Grabbing the flashlight out of the box, he placed it on the table and rolled it around.

	“I had no idea it would be this boring,” Jeremy muttered.

	As if summoned by his complaining, a series of noises rang out through the restaurant. Jeremy panicked for a moment, frozen with indecision. Cursing in his head, he remembered the tablet. He quickly picked it up and turned it on. What he saw surprised him. The animatronics were missing from the stage.

	Jeremy let out a sound that was part groan and part scream. “Shit, already?” He scrambled for the flashlight and stood up from his desk, banging his knee in his haste. Biting back some choice words, he readied himself to go charging into the darkness of the restaurant. Suddenly, a loud banging resounded from the hole in the wall to his left. Freezing in place, Jeremy held his breath as the banging got closer.

	One of the animatronics from the stage emerged from the hole. It had a bright yellow costume, with the exception of the pelvis, which was pink. In her hands was a plate with a cupcake on it. Jeremy, still frozen, faintly noticed that her beak and eyes were missing.

	A brief crackle of speakers turning on cut through the silence. “Hey there tall, pale, and lanky. I take it you’re the new night guard?”

	The surprisingly feminine voice made Jeremy flinch. This was a series of events he wasn’t expecting at all.

	“Uh, yeah. I’m Jeremy. I got hired earlier today.” Jeremy couldn’t help but wince at how lame he sounded.

	The animatronic did a little dance on the spot. “That’s great! We haven’t had a guard since the last guy transferred a few days ago. I’m Toy Chica, but everyone just calls me Chica.” Jeremy couldn’t help but think that she seemed a bit excitable.

	“It’s a pleasure to meet you Chica.” Jeremy said this slowly, still a bit unsure as to what was going on.

	Banging came from the hole on the other side of the room before Toy Chica could continue. From it crawled a blue animatronic, lagomorphic in nature. Toy Bonnie had arrived. His gaze lingered on Jeremy before he turned to face his yellow counterpart. His speakers activated with a snap. A faint southern drawl accompanied the tinny voice coming from his artificial voicebox.

	“Do you always have to zip around all over the place like that?” Although normally such a question would be accompanied by some measure of annoyance, it was asked completely deadpan. To Jeremy it seemed almost rhetorical in nature, like he was used to it.

	“Sorry Bon, I was just so excited to see the new guard. This is Jeremy, isn’t he cool?” Toy Chica squealed a bit as they both faced Jeremy. He suddenly felt very self-conscious.

	“He’s certainly a better sight than the last guard we had,” Toy Bonnie mused. Jeremy suddenly felt very uncomfortable and a bit too vulnerable. Under the amused and oblivious gazes of Toy Bonnie and Toy Chica respectively, Jeremy slid back behind his desk and into his seat.

	“So, uh, what do you guys do here all night?” The question came less from genuinely wanting to know the answer and more from Jeremy desperately trying to break up the atmosphere. Toy Chica seemed to perk up before responding.

	“Oh, we do all sorts of things! I like talking to everyone about stuff and looking at all the new art the kids leave behind. Bon here usually hangs out with me or messes around with that guitar of his. Sometimes he helps out Fred, too!” she chirped.

	Jeremy tilted his head to one side, thankful for the distraction. “Fred?”

	“She’s referring to Toy Freddy,” Toy Bonnie chimed in, “The rest of us call him Freddy, but Chica here loves nicknames. He’s a total neat freak and is therefore responsible for getting the place ready for opening in the morning. I try to help him out when I can.”

	Jeremy nodded to show his understanding. The night continued on in much the same vein; the threesome talking about whatever caught their fancy. Jeremy would ask questions when he wanted to and the two animatronics would answer to the best of their abilities. Occasionally Toy Chica would go off on a tangent and it would take Toy Bonnie’s patient guidance to get the conversation back on track. Jeremy slowly became more at ease, no longer as worried as he had been.

	“Well Jeremy, it was fun talking to you. I’m gonna go check out all the new pictures that are up in the hall. See ya later!” With a wave, Toy Chica left through the entrance and went into the hall. Toy Bonnie, after staring at Jeremy a bit, tilted his head in a nod and departed after her. Jeremy watched as they went to the end of the hallway and rounded the corner. Soon after he could faintly hear Toy Chica gushing about how talented the children were.

	Jeremy sighed and seemed to deflate in his chair. Leaning back in his chair, he put his feet up on his desk and chewed his bottom lip in thought. The past several hours had been exhausting for him. As nice as Toy Chica was, hanging around her for an extended period of time was a bit much. He had no idea how Toy Bonnie could stand it.

	Deciding that he might as well do his job, Jeremy reached next to his crossed feet and grabbed the security tablet. He flipped through the cameras and tried to further familiarize himself with how it worked. He spotted Toy Freddy in the main room near the entrance. As he looked on, the animatronic bear straightened chairs and tables with machinelike precision.

	Checking other cameras, Jeremy found nothing else of interest beyond a musical tune playing from the camera at the prize corner. A quick break to wind the music box back up and Jeremy had officially exhausted his supply of anything interesting to do. He pressed the power button again and then put the tablet back down on his desk before leaning back once more. Closing his eyes, he contemplated the events so far.

	Lost in his thoughts, Jeremy failed to hear the clattering of metal above him until it was too late. With a sudden and violent swing that nearly collided with his face, his next visitor arrived.

	The cobbled together form of an animatronic fox hung suspended in front of Jeremy. A strangled yelp escaped from his throat as he fell backwards. Rubbing the back of his head where it hit the ground, Jeremy picked himself up and righted his chair. As he sat back down, his guest decided to speak.

	A static-filled buzz issued forth from her speakers before clearing up into something understandable. “Oh my, I’m so sorry about that darling. You aren’t hurt, are you?”

	“No, I’m fine.” Jeremy lied, wincing in pain. “Don’t worry about it.”

	The robot in front of him let out a pleased hum before she spoke once more. “That’s good. I would feel absolutely awful if you were hurt."

	The animatronic gave another short hum before she continued to speak. “Anyways, dear, I think some introductions are in order. Everyone calls me Mangle, so I suppose you can too.”

	Mangle. What a fitting name. “I’m Jeremy. I got hired as the new night guard.”

	“It’s a pleasure to meet you Jeremy.” Mangle performed a short curtsy. A low whine disturbed them before either could continue speaking. From the depths of Mangle’s tangled up body emerged a damaged endoskeleton head.

	Somehow, Mangle seemed guilty. Bringing herself face to face to the damaged head, she cooed softly at it while patting it with one hand. Jeremy could faintly hear apologies drift over to him from where the two were having a hushed conversation.

	Jeremy built up the resolve to interrupt them and opened his mouth. As he did so, the two heads turned to look at him. Seeing their smiling faces directed at him, Jeremy’s mouth closed with a click.

	“Allow me to introduce you to my partner in crime here.” Mangled rubbed the endohead affectionately as she said this. It sounded like it enjoyed the contact based on the happy bark it let out.

	Jeremy weakly waved at it before focusing back on Mangle. He squirmed in his seat a bit. Thinking carefully about what he wanted to say, Jeremy uncertainly spoke. “So is that all you wanted, then?” He hastily started talking again when he saw her crestfallen expression. “Not that I don’t appreciate the company or anything, but I’ve kind of had a lot to take in tonight.”

	Mangle’s expression cleared up a bit in understanding. “Oh, don’t worry about offending me dear. If you’re having a bit of a rough night then I don’t blame you one bit for wanting some time to yourself.” She began clambering back up to the ceiling as she told him this. She had one last thing to say before she disappeared into a vent completely. Voice like a purr, Mangle said, “Just remember, if you ever need anything,” her eyes became lidded, “and I mean anything, just come find me.” With a giggle at Jeremy's dumbstruck expression, she was gone.

	Jeremy sat frozen in his chair, eyes stuck to where Mangle had vanished. After a few seconds he slammed his head down onto the desk. The brief flash of pain from his forehead helped settle his thoughts. Did that really just happen? Was a robot actually just hitting on him or was she just messing around?

	Raising his head from his desk, Jeremy reached for his tablet. Anything to distract him from what just happened. He went through the cameras one by one. The inside of one of the vents. Toy Chica still babbling about art at another portion of the restaurant while Toy Bonnie dutifully listened. Mangle slinking through the corner of the screen. The prize corner still playing its tune.

	A few cameras later, Jeremy stopped and stared. He peered down at the screen. He swore he saw some movement at the edge of the camera’s field of view. It looked almost like a… sign?

	A dry, robotic cough startled him out of his thoughts. Jeremy’s head shot up. There, standing in the doorway, was the boss himself. Toy Freddy. A low pop signaled the activation of his speakers.

	“Jeremy Fitzgerald,” Toy Freddy said pleasantly, “Are you enjoying your first night on the job?”

	Jeremy thought for a moment. “It’s not what I expected it to be, but yeah. I'm enjoying myself.”

	Toy Freddy politely laughed at that and nodded. “I’m glad to hear that. Here at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza we value our employee’s satisfaction just as much as our customer’s.”

	“That’s a relief. I’ve heard some real horror stories from some friends of mine that work retail.”

	Toy Freddy gave a more genuine laugh at that. “I’m sure the others have already told you this, but if you have any questions or concerns feel free to come to one of us.” The animatronic then cast a critical eye at the mess surrounding Jeremy’s desk. “My apologies for cutting this short, but I’m a busy bear and there are still things I need to do before we open. Please be sure to clean up before you go.”

	Before Jeremy could reply, Toy Freddy was already halfway down the hall. After he watched the mechanical performer fade into the darkness Jeremy dutifully got to work. He stuffed the mask and flashlight on the table back into the box he found them in. With one final check of the security cameras, which showed the Toy bots gathering at the stage, the tablet was turned off and put back as well.

	Sliding the box back under the table, Jeremy got up and stretched. He whistled a tune that had gotten stuck in his head during the drive there and paid the bathroom a quick visit. A quick flush of a urinal and some hand washing and he was out. Strolling across the main room to the entrance, Jeremy gave a quick peek to the animatronics standing still on the stage. Toy Chica, beak and eyes in place, very quickly turned her head and winked at him before returning to her previous position.

	Small grin on his face, Jeremy waited by the front door for the manager to arrive. He wasn’t there long. Within minutes, Phineas was at the clear double doors, keys in hand and folders full of papers tucked under his armpits.

	Phineas smiled at him. “Congratulations! You survived your first night.” His smile quickly dropped. “Umm, not that people die or anything.”

	Jeremy wasn’t sure how to feel about that, so he ignored it completely. “It was different from what I thought it would be, but not in a bad way. The atmosphere creeped me out a little at first, but the animatronics were friendly and helped me get used to everything.”

	Phineas’s smile was back in full force when he heard that. “I’m glad you get along with your, uhh, coworkers. These characters hold a special place in the hearts of children, so what you’re doing is very important.” Phineas then nudged his shoulder. “No pressure, though.”

	Jeremy chuckled a bit at the joke. Phineas then spoke up again. “I’m sorry I can’t stand here and talk more, but there are things that need to be done before we open in a few hours. I'm lucky to have Toy Freddy helping me out during the night.” With a grateful wave to Toy Freddy and an apologetic nod to Jeremy, Phineas walked away.

	It was a short walk across the parking lot for Jeremy. Dawn was breaking across the city. A chill hung in the air, a leftover from the night. Dew clung to the windshield of his car. As Jeremy unlocked it and got in, he absentmindedly sighed. A lot had happened during his shift, and he had a feeling things weren’t going to calm down any time soon.

	Jeremy started his car and drove it out of the lot. He couldn’t wait to get home, take off his purple uniform, and go to sleep.