The New Face of Fun chapter 2

	Streetlights raced by. Jeremy stifled a yawn behind a fist as he drove. He had taken a nap earlier to make sure he would be rested and alert for his shift, but that had nearly backfired on him. His eyes cut to his watch. 11:45. It would be close, but he’d make it.

	There was the pizzeria now, in fact. A cheery, cartoonish face of Toy Freddy overlooked the parking lot. Eyes lit up and nothing else, it seemed much more menacing than it had any right to. Jeremy snorted to himself as he pulled into the lot. As if Toy Freddy could ever be anything even remotely similar to menacing.

	William was waiting for him at the entrance. Perpetual grin still in place, he yelled a question to Jeremy from across the parking lot. “Cutting it a bit close, aren’t you champ?”

	Jeremy dismissed him with a wave and hurried to the front door. “Have you been waiting for me, then?”

	“Nah, I was just admiring the scenery.” William made a show of surveying the parking lot in front of him.

	Jeremy chuckled at that and slapped his shoulder. “No need to be so sarcastic about it.”

	“I may not need to be sarcastic, but you need to be in your office in,” William exaggeratedly looked at his watch, “4 minutes. I’d hurry if I were you.”

	Jeremy moved around him and pushed open the double doors. “I’m going, I’m going.” Pausing before he walked in, he turned to face William once more. “By the way, thanks for warning me about the animatronics.”

	William’s laughter could still be heard through the closed doors even as Jeremy was halfway across the party room.  The dark-haired youth was unable to suppress the eye roll and accompanying chuckle. A quick glance up at the stage showed the animatronics in place, still as statues.

	After a pit stop to admire the new art on the wall, Jeremy made his way into the security office. He only had enough time to take a rolled up comic book out of his back pocket and sit down before midnight was announced with the sound of distant metal footsteps.

	Taking the box out from underneath his desk, Jeremy booted up the tablet and checked the pizzeria. There went Toy Freddy, already cleaning up. A quick switch to the Prize Corner to wind up the music box, and Jeremy went looking for the other bots. Mangle was in the Kid’s Cove limbering up. Toy Bonnie was wandering down a hall. A quick check with the flashlight revealed him casually strolling around the corner.

	Toy Chica was not to be found in any of the rooms. It seemed as though checking the vents was in order. Jeremy immediately found her crawling through the left vent. She waved at him before picking up the pace. As Jeremy put the tablet down Toy Chica burst from the vent, just as Toy Bonnie reached the room.

	Seeing the two side by side again really contrasted them. Whereas Toy Chica was very nearly vibrating with energy, Toy Bonnie was standing stock still, looking very bored. Their speakers activated with a crackle and a snap.

	“Heya Jerbear! How’re you doing?” Toy Chica asked excitedly.

	Jeremy face scrunched up. “Jerbear?”

	Toy Chica tilted her head. “No good?”

	“No good,” Jeremy confirmed. “Anyways, I’m doing well. How are you two?”

	Toy Chica answered immediately. “Oh, I’m doing wonderful! Bon here’s a bit of a sourpuss but don’t let that fool you, he’s doing good too!” Toy Bonnie staunchly ignored her with the ease of years of practice and proceeded to softly play some chords on his guitar. “We were really busy today, but that just meant more kids to make happy!”

	Jeremy got settled into a more comfortable position. “Oh really? What’d you guys do?” He caught Toy Bonnie rolling his eyes. At Toy Chica for talking so much or at Jeremy for prompting her he wasn’t sure.

	The yellow animatronic sucked in an unnecessary mechanical breath in preparation for the amount of talking she was about to do. “Well, first we had two birthday parties at once. It was super tough to go back and forth and entertain them, but their smiles really made it worth it. Then the afterschool rush came and there were even more smiling faces!”

	Jeremy grinned at her. “You really love children, don’t you Chica?”

	Toy Chica enthusiastically nodded her head. “Of course! They’re my favorite things in the world!”

	Toy Bonnie took a break from his playing to enter the conversation. “We all love children, Jeremy. It’s quite literally what we were programmed for.”

	Jeremy turned to face him and tilted his head. “That seems a bit glum, don’t you think?”

	Toy Bonnie just made a noise that sounded vaguely like disagreement before returning to his guitar. Toy Chica took the opportunity to continue talking.

	“Anyways, we had one last birthday party right before closing. Apparently we were the last stop of a day of celebration. The poor kids were all tuckered out when they had to leave. One of the moms got really mad at her husband for some reason and they had to leave early.”

	Jeremy leaned forward. Gossip was a guilty pleasure of his. “Ooh, really? Do you know why she was upset?”

	“I’m not sure, but I think she may have been jealous of my colorful costume.” A twirl. “Her husband kept touching and poking it and every time he did her face got red.”

	Toy Bonnie strummed particularly loudly and shot Jeremy a warning look. Jeremy, getting the hint, decided not to mention his thoughts on why the husband got in trouble. Instead, he indulged his curiosity. “You mentioned how much you love entertaining kids. What sort of routine do you guys do?”

	This time, even Toy Bonnie brightened up. Jeremy sat back entranced as the two did a few impromptu performances. The animatronics went on for well over an hour, cycling between songs, both original and Fazbear-based knock-offs, child-friendly comedy, and acting. To Jeremy it was like he was a kid again, bringing back warm memories of Fredbear’s Family Diner.

	After they were done he gave them a standing ovation. Toy Chica gave a bow and blew a kiss while Toy Bonnie merely nodded his head in recognition. The chicken spoke up once he sat back down. “I’m glad you enjoyed the show, Jeremy!”

	“To be honest, I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did,” Jeremy said.

	Toy Bonnie snorted. “We pride ourselves on entertaining patrons of ALL ages, Jeremy.”

	The three made small talk for a few more minutes before the two animatronics departed from the office through the vents. Jeremy leaned back in his chair and exhaled deeply. Those two were just as exhausting as always. Although, Jeremy strangely seemed to be even more full of energy than he had before they had showed up.

	With a shrug, Jeremy retrieved the comic book from where he had stashed it under the table and got to reading. The exciting tale of Kraven the Hunter’s impersonation of Spider-Man was well underway.

	As he was reading his comic book, firmly engrossed, an unfamiliar voice piped up. “ Hello?” Jeremy nearly jumped out of his seat, screaming a completely masculine scream thank you very much.

	Looking down, Jeremy spotted a new face. Another animatronic, this one humanoid in appearance and wearing a blue and red striped shirt and blue pants. A ballon was in one hand, a sign in the other.

	“Hello?” It said again, startling Jeremy out of his examination. Before he could say anything, banging from the left vent caught his attention. Another animatronic crawled out, this one visually very similar to the first but with purple where red had been.

	Before Jeremy could say anything, a voice came from the hall. “Jeremy! A word please?” Just about at the end of his rope, Jeremy looked down the hall to see Toy Freddy strolling down.

	Latching onto the relative normalcy and discreetly putting the comic book back under the table, Jeremy greeted the bear when he entered the room. “Hey Freddy. What do you need?”

	Toy Freddy ignored the question for a moment. “Ah, I see you’ve met BB and JJ.”

	“BB and JJ?”

	The two child-like animatronics in question giggled before running from the room with some playful screams. Toy Freddy watched them go with fondness before returning his attention to Jeremy. “Those two are sort of unofficial mascots here. Every animatronic here has responsibilities, and theirs is to play with the children directly.”

	Jeremy frowned, still not entirely convinced. “Anyways, what were you coming down here to talk to me about?”

	Toy Freddy’s demeanor shifted suddenly. What little expression he could convey with his costume’s head seemed to radiate disapproval. “You have been shirking one of your duties, Jeremy. I was stopped by our friend manning the Prize Corner and was informed that the music box had not been wound in some time.”

	Jeremy was shocked. “You mean there’s someone else I haven’t met? First those two kids, now this. Is there anyone else I should know about?”

	Toy Freddy shifted in place. “That’s beside the point, Jeremy. You did not do one of the tasks assigned to you.”

	“I’m sorry,” Jeremy said. “I asked Chica and Bonnie to show me what kind of stuff you guys entertain the customers with and I lost track of time.”

	Toy Freddy softened up a bit. “If that’s the case then it’s all right. Our performances have been finely tuned to enrapture everyone who watches them. Even Phineas will sometimes pause in his duties and observe us.”

	Jeremy nodded his head. “It really was something I can only imagine what it’s like with all three of you. Anyways, what were you saying about a ‘friend manning the Prize Corner’?”

	“Oh, them?” began Toy Freddy, “I was referring to our companion, the Marionette, though you may hear some employees and visitors use ‘Puppet’ instead. Easier for the children to say, you see.”

	“The Marionette, huh? What’re they like?”

	A hand came up to rub Toy Freddy’s face. “Oh, the Marionette’s a rather reclusive fellow. Always staying in that box and listening to music. Things are different during the day shift. Everyone’s busy handling the children and whatnot, and the Marionette’s no exception. Once the restaurant closes and there are no more tickets to be exchanged, though, it’s right back into the box.”

	Jeremy furrowed his brow. “That seems really lonely, doesn’t it?”

	Toy Freddy nodded his head before chuckling. “You know, now I see why Bonnie likes you so much.”

	“W-what?” stammered Jeremy.

	“You said the Marionette seems lonely, and that’s exactly Bonnie’s thoughts on the subject. He might not seem it at first, but he worries a lot.”

	“Hmm. Maybe I’ll go pay the Marionette a visit after my shift. Everyone needs a friend, after all.”

	“Perhaps, Mr. Fitzgerald, perhaps. Regardless, you do still need to remain diligent with your duties, and merely socializing with coworkers is not one of them.” Here, Toy Freddy paused. “However, in this case they may not be mutually exclusive. If you could just remember to wind the music box, that would go a long way to having a healthy employee relationship with the Marionette.”

	“Thanks Freddy,” said Jeremy, “I’ll remember that.”

	With a tip of his hat, Toy Freddy left the office. Jeremy was lost in his thoughts as he watched the animatronic leave. He wasn’t expecting this level of social interaction when he applied for this job. Security guards for the night shift rarely have to deal with fellow employees, after all. This would take some consideration.

	Jeremy shook his head. He was never good at planning things out so he’d just wing it. Remembering Toy Freddy’s words about doing his job, he picked up the tablet and scanned through the cameras. He found Toy Bonnie and Toy Chica sitting on the stage together making conversation. Toy Freddy was in a party room, looking up at the camera with satisfaction before tidying up the room.

	Giggling from down the hall broke his concentration. Jeremy picked up his flashlight and shined it down. The spotlight revealed BB and JJ, who very quickly ducked into the Service Room. Jeremy switched back to the tablet and checked on them. It was much darker here, and the camera quality was worse. The two bots scampered into a dark part of the room that was out of view. Jeremy leaned in to search for them.

	Squinting for a moment, Jeremy gave it up as a lost cause and put the tablet down. Instead, he picked his comic book back up and continued where he had left off. Captivated as he was, he didn’t hear the whirring of machinery.

	A gentle hum, broken up by static, sounded from above him. Jeremy glanced up. There, suspended from the ceiling, was Mangle. Once she saw that he noticed her, she began to tut disapprovingly.

	“Jeremy, dear. What did Freddy tell you about doing your job?”

	“Sorry. It’s just a bit boring here sometimes.” His head tilted to one side. “How did you know what he said, anyway?”

	From the mess of wires, parts, and limbs came a hand, which demurely covered her mouth. “Ooops. Well, if you must know I was dangling here when he told you. I arrived just after he did.”

	Jeremy forced back the shudder. “That’s… kind of creepy, Mangle.”

	The lights in Mangle’s cheeks lit up in a blush. “Oh, I’m sorry dear. I didn’t realize that being watched would make you uncomfortable.” Her eyes became hooded and she gave him a smoky look. “Personally, I get excited at the thought.”

	She snickered at the expression on Jeremy’s face. Before he could formulate a response to that, the damaged head surfaced from Mangle’s body with a yip. Thankful for the reprieve, Jeremy reached out and scratched at an undamaged spot. A coo of enjoyment was his reward.

	Mangle spoke up again. “Oh darling, I wish you’d pet me like that.”

	Jeremy ignored her. Mangle huffed at him. “Well fine, be that way. I suppose you’re not interested learning more about Marionette.”

	Jeremy’s head snapped to her, endoskeleton head forgotten. Neither paid attention to the whine it made at the lack of petting going on. “Is there something else I should know?”

	Mangle shook a finger at him admonishingly and tutted. “It’s too late for that, dear. I’m afraid you’re on your own now.”

	Jeremy cocked his head and stared at her. “Mangle, have I ever told you how wonderful and beautiful you are?”

	“Flattery will get you nowhere, darling,” said Mangle. Jeremy didn’t fail to notice how she conspicuously turned her head to face away from him, or the soft pink glow coming from her cheeks. “Regardless, I suppose I could offer you some information for trying.”

	With that, she ascended to the ceiling. Coiling and undulating out of the room, she deigned to bestow upon him a single piece of advice. “Remember, dear, the Marionette is much more idiosyncratic than the rest of us. They’re going to seem a bit cold and the conversation is going to be a bit strange, but don’t let it bother you.”

	Jeremy waved at her as she disappeared into the darkness. A blown kiss was his reply.  Settling down in the chair, he picked up the tablet and checked the time. Only an hour to go.

	It was easy to keep busy after that. Regularly checking the cameras to see what shenanigans the bots were up to, winding the music box up every so often, and finishing up his comic in between took up the remainder of his shift. Seeing and listening to Toy Bonnie play some songs for BB and JJ, who were still for once, was pleasant, and watching Mangle and Toy Chica animatedly have some girl talk was entertaining, at least until Mangle turned to the camera and winked.

	6 AM arrived with such speed that Jeremy could scarcely believe it. Another night gone, another shift completed. He packed his tablet and flashlight back into their box and made for the main party room. Rather than go to the entrance, however, the night guard instead made a beeline for the Prize Corner.

	Reaching the corner of the room that was the Marionette’s domain, Jeremy hesitantly stood in front of the counter. Nervous, he took to glancing around at all the knock-off far-too-expensive toys and official Fazbear merchandise lining the walls. A cough from behind him startled him out of his inspection. Quickly spinning around, Jeremy saw Toy Freddy staring at him from the stage, gesturing with a hand to get on with it.

	Jeremy swallowed and turned around. A hand came up to run fingers through his hair. Unsure as to where the Marionette even was, he resorted to simply calling out. “Um, hello? Marionette?”

	He jumped when they lid of the giant box next to the counter creaked open. The first thing that Jeremy saw was a smiling mask, pale white and a bit disconcerting, with streaks of purple under its nonexistent eyes and rosy red cheeks. As it further rose, he realized that what he had first assumed was darkness in the box was actually black fabric making up a very lanky body. It stopped rising once its chest cleared the rim of the box, and Jeremy was unnerved to realize that even with so little of its body out it was still as tall as he was.

	The Marionette, for whom else could it be, spoke to him, voice faint, emotionless, and androgynous. “What is it that you want, young Jeremy? If it is prizes you seek, know that this is no charity.”  The words were slow, measured.

	“Er, I just wanted to introduce myself and apologize for forgetting to crank your music box. I lost track of time watching Chica and Bonnie perform.”

	The Marionette shook its head at him. “I knew already why the task was not performed, I merely believed that you needed be informed. Even though you may be having fun, that is no reason to not get the job done.”

	Fingers trailed through Jeremy’s hair again. “I understand, and I’m sorry. I promise it won’t happen again. I’ll be on the ball from now on.”

	The Marionette did not respond to this. Silently, it stared at him while Jeremy steadily grew more and more uncomfortable. Finally, it reached a striped arm out of the box and, gaze still locked onto Jeremy, reached over the counter next to it and retrieved a toy. Jeremy inspected it once it was handed to him. A small music box. Fiddling with it, he was surprised to find that it even played the same tune as the Marionette’s music box, although in much worse quality.

	“A trinket to remind you of what it is you must do.” Having said its piece, the Marionette sunk back into its box. After the lid closed, Jeremy stared at the box with a measure of annoyance. Grumbling lightly to himself, he nevertheless put the small music box in his pocket.

	A knock from the front door echoed through the empty room, and Jeremy, startled, turned to face it. On the other side of the clear glass stood Phineas, face sheepish.  When Jeremy hurried over to the door and opened it, Phineas greeted him. “Good morning. Uh, sorry about that. I forgot my keys at home and I didn’t want to drive back to get them.”

	“That’s alright,” Jeremy said. “It’s a good thing I was here to let you in, though, isn’t it?”

	Phineas laughed and nodded. “It sure was. What are you doing here so late after your shift ended, anyways?”

	“Oh! I was talking to the Marionette. I sort of forgot to crank the music box at one point during my shift and I wanted to apologize.”

	Phineas grimaced at that. “Sorry, I should have warned you about doing that.” Glancing at the Prize Corner, he lowered his voice. “I don’t know about you, but to be completely honest I never really liked that puppet thing. The way it acts, the way it looks… I don’t know, it just gives me the creeps.”

	Jeremy chuckled at that. “Wait, so you’re telling me that you’re the manager but you don’t like every ‘performer’?”

	With a chuckle of his own, Phineas responded. “Oh no, it’s not like that. I like most of our performers. They can’t all be Foxy, though. Now there was an animatronic. He was my favorite, you know?”

	“Foxy?” Jeremy asked. “I don’t recognize that name.”

	“I’m not surprised you don’t. Foxy’s an older, decommissioned model. We were originally going to repair him and the other old models and use them here, but the manager at the time decided that they were too ugly.” Phineas’ expression turned downcast. “It’s a shame, too. Those old animatronics were what made me fall in love with this franchise in the first place.”

	“Yeah, it is a shame,” Jeremy agreed. “Anyways, I’m gonna head on out. I’m exhausted.”

	“Alright, well I’ll see you tomorrow.” Phineas clapped him on the back and headed for the office. Jeremy opened up the doors and walked out. The sun was rising, the morning air was brisk, and birds were chirping.

	Jeremy walked across the parking lot to his car and got in. Turning it on and buckling up he pulled out of the empty lot and made his way home. Going on autopilot, he went through his memories of the night. Unbidden, a thought arose in his mind. What else did this job have in store for him?