The New Face of Fun chapter 3

	“… and then, in the middle of cheering him up, my beak fell off and he screamed!”

	Jeremy laughed. “Wow! Poor kid. What happened next?” From the corner of Jeremy’s eye he could see Toy Bonnie, who was there to see it in person, suppressing some chuckles of his own.

	Toy Chica didn’t find it so funny. “Stop laughing, Jeremy! It was so embarrassing! I can’t believe I let a customer see part of my endoskeleton!” She started wiggling in place, cheeks lit up and hands covering her eyes in mortification.

	Jeremy looked over at Toy Bonnie. “What’s the big deal about someone seeing your metal bits, anyways?”

	“Well, Jeremy, it’s a little like if you lost your pants or something,” Toy Bonnie said. His own humor subsiding, his blue fingers came back up to softly begin playing another song.

	“Wait, so being out of your costume is like being naked for you guys?” Jeremy asked, perplexed. It seemed to make sense now that he thought about it, but at the same time he was having trouble wrapping his head around it. Why did machines even have a concept of nudity, anyways?

	Toy Chica briefly came back to her senses just long enough to interject her own opinion into the subject. “Geez, Jem, can’t you at least show a girl some sympathy?” How a robot could so clearly pout without the ability to emote Jeremy would never know.

	“Can’t you at least come up with a better nickname than Jem?” Jeremy rebuked. “I thought I already asked you to not call me that. Give me something more masculine.”

	The halfway point in Jeremy’s shift was quickly approaching. He had arrived at the pizzeria with time to spare, unlike the previous night. Also unlike the previous night, there was no one waiting for him at the door, so he had plenty of time to himself in his small open office. Drinks, snacks, and entertainment were placed in the cardboard box under his desk and the miscellaneous trash that was in it was properly thrown away. The mask, which Jeremy was still unsure as to the purpose of, was resting on one corner of the desk, near the flashlight, tablet and miniature music box.

	The dastardly duo of Toy Chica and Toy Bonnie had, just like the previous two nights, made a beeline for Jeremy the moment his shift had started. Together the threesome had passed his shift like usual, exchanging stories of their day and having fun getting to know each other. Already over two hours had passed, and other than a slight lull when Toy Freddy checked up on them there were no signs of slowing down.

	Jeremy took his moment of freedom to check the cameras. Honestly, if it weren’t for Toy Freddy being such a stickler for the rules he wouldn’t have even bothered. Speaking of the boss bear, there he was carrying supplies from the Service Room to the kitchen. Honestly, that guy was such a workaholic. Hey might even surpass Phineas in that regard. Maybe.

	Flipping cameras, Jeremy spent a moment watching BB and JJ play on the carousel while Mangle supervised them. Remembering the day before and casting a glance at the small toy on his desk, Jeremy flipped to the Prize Corner and wound the music box all the way up. Satisfied, he switched back to following Toy Freddy across the cameras.

	As the animatronic was leaving the Service Room, box of utensils in hand, Jeremy was about to follow him out on another camera before he paused. Was it just him or did something move? Peering down at the screen with his face far too close, the guard waited with breath held. There! There was definitely movement that time.

	Lowering the tablet but not tearing his eyes away from it, Jeremy spoke up, interrupting Toy Chica who had been mindlessly babbling about something to an unresponsive Toy Bonnie. “Hey guys, are there any other performers that I don’t know about? Like, say, in the Service Room?”

	The two animatronics shared a look before Toy Chica spoke up. “…Well, there’s the old models. They usually spend their time back there.”

	A memory tickled at the back of Jeremy’s mind. Hadn’t Phineas mentioned old models? As he wracked his brain trying to remember his conversation yesterday, he asked the two in front of him for clarification. In his self-reflection he failed to see how hesitant they were to answer.

 	“Umm, they’re just older models of animatronics from the previous location, Fredbear’s. Something happened there years ago that caused the higher ups to move away from Fredbear, so they made some more animatronics to focus on.” Toy Chica seemed very uncomfortable about this line of discussion.

	Toy Bonnie came to her rescue at that point. “It was a close thing, really. Fredbear’s almost closed down on three separate occasions, you know? The place was cursed. Accidents, sanitation issues, poor management, the lot. In the end, though, the place bounced back harder than ever, so we got made and this place got renovated.”

	“And those old models have been back there ever since?” Jeremy asked.

	“Pretty much,” Toy Bonnie confirmed. “There’re four of them, and with the exception of Mangle they have the same names as us. Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and –“

	“Foxy!” Jeremy interrupted. The dam holding back his discussion with Phineas broke at that moment. “Shit, I thought they were, like, dismantled or something. You mean they’re still alive back there? That’s messed up!”

	“Watch your language, Mr. Fitzgerald. This is a children’s pizzeria. But yes, they are still back there.” Toy Bonnie seemed much colder. It seemed the fate of the old models was a bit of a sore point for him. Recognizing this, Jeremy backed off.

	The air between them began to grow awkward until Toy Chica made the valiant effort to cut the tension. “Come on, guys. Don’t be so down.” Turning to Jeremy, she said, “The ones in the back are a bit down about not being able to perform anymore, but they accepted their positions a long time ago.”

	Toy Chica clapped her hands, radiating happiness. “I know! Why don’t we do another performance like last night?”

	Toy Bonnie seemed rather displeased with that idea, and if Jeremy was being honest with himself he didn’t particularly like the sound of it either. It seemed as though the topic of the old models was casting a shadow on their fun night.

	It was with a somber mood that the two animatronics left Jeremy. Toy Chica said that she wanted to have some girl talk with Mangle, and Toy Bonnie didn’t say anything at all. Jeremy watched the two fade into the darkness of the hallway. He didn’t bother checking the camera to follow them.

	Jeremy’s feet came up on his desk and his arms folded across his chest. Dark green eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, his mind in turmoil. What should he do about what he had learned? Should he even do anything? Minutes passed as he contemplated. Finally, Jeremy came to a decision. He stood up and walked out from behind his desk, grabbing his flashlight and pointing it down the hall. It was only a few dozen feet to his target. Determined, the guard set out.

	It was literally mere seconds to walk from his office to the Service Room, but to Jeremy it felt like hours. The journey of yards was turned into one of miles by his own apprehension. What would he find in the Service Room? What state were the old animatronic models in? These questions and more tumbled around in his mind as he reached the door and went in.

	The Service Room was dark. This wasn’t your everyday darkness, either. This was advanced darkness. The beam of Jeremy’s flashlight seemed to be swallowed up by the inky blackness, unable to fully penetrate its murky depths.  Shadows encroached around Jeremy forebodingly as he cautiously ventured forth into the room.

	Light bounced off metal limbs and Jeremy’s heart leapt into his throat. Another look revealed that it was just a metal frame that lay dormant on a table. Casting a wary eye in its direction, Jeremy edged around it and entered another section of the room. Twin pinpricks of red light went unnoticed behind him.

	Moving beyond a shelf and eyes cutting nervously in every direction, Jeremy cursed to himself. What was the deal with the Service Room? It was almost as big as the main party room, and the cramped, dusty shelves made it feel like a labyrinth. Already, he was having difficulty orienting himself. Every rack and table looked the same, and he had made so many turns that he wasn’t even sure where the exit was.

	Finally Jeremy’s nerves failed him. Flashlight beam shaking in an unsteady hand, he turned around to retrace his steps. Perhaps he would come back in the daytime, when it wasn’t so dark. Finding his way back was easy at first. His were the only feet that disturbed the dust coating the floor, and so all he needed to do was follow the spots on the floor that were slightly cleaner than the rest.

	Unfortunately, his plan hit a snag after rounding a corner. Brushing past an old Freddy costume, Jeremy was dismayed to find a split in the path. Dread trickled down his spine like cold water. He already knew there were animatronics alive back here, but this was too much. The paranoia was starting to get to him.

	“My dear boy,” a baritone voice began directly behind him, “are you lost?”

	Jeremy jolted, panic sending his legs into action blindly. Crashing hard into a cabinet, he flung his arm around and shone the flashlight at the speaker.

	The being, which Jeremy could now see was an animatronic, spoke. “Could you please not shine that directly at me like that? It messes with my circuits.” Jeremy ignored it in favor of examining it.
Standing in front of him, arm covering it’s face, was a large humanoid bear. It was tall, taller than every other animatronic Jeremy had seen besides the Marionette. Similar to Toy Freddy in appearance, its costume was much more ragged. The hard foam was missing chunks, and through the holes pieces of its endoskeleton were visible.

“I apologize if I seem rude, but I must insist that you stop shining your flashlight at me directly.” Jeremy snapped out of his stupor at that. Fumbling around somewhat, he finally decided on aiming the beam at a metal cabinet directly across from him. The light scattered off of the dull surface, casting a soft glow on the two.

	The bear lowered its arm and spoke up. “That’s much better. Allow me to introduce myself. I…” It stiffly lowered itself into a shallow bow, “…am Freddy Fazbear.”

	Jeremy wasn’t quite sure where to go from here. Internally, he shrugged. Might as well follow the animatronic’s lead. “I’m Jeremy Fitzgerald. I’m the new night guard here.” He then returned the bear’s bow with one of his own.

	Freddy seemed amused at that. “I know who you are, young man. Some of the Toy animatronics have been talking my ears off about you.” Here he gestured at one of his ears, which was indeed in such a state of disrepair as to be nearly detached from his head.

	“Well, I hope it’s all been good,” joked Jeremy, still nervous. Normally he’d already be feeling more at ease, but this old Freddy model was really intimidating. Freddy seemed to realize the effect he was having on him. Not saying a word, Freddy gestured to Jeremy to follow him.

	The two walked in silence through the Service Room’s maze. Freddy was limping, Jeremy noticed. Closer examination revealed that one of the bear’s legs was in very poor condition, with wires dangling from the ruined knee joint.

	It was when they were halfway to the entrance that Freddy started to talk. “I don’t really know why you’re here, but I can guess. You heard about our plight and wanted to see it for yourself, yes?”

	“Yeah, that’s pretty much it,” Jeremy confirmed.

	Freddy turned his head to Jeremy, his searching gaze locking on to his face. Jeremy withstood it for as long as he could. Freddy seemed satisfied at what he found, and spoke up once he turned around. “There’s no need to pity us, Mr. Fitzgerald. We may not be happy with our lot in life, but we’ve come to accept it.”

	“But it doesn’t seem right!” Jeremy said. He blushed when Freddy paused and turned to look at him once again, but soldiered on. “It just isn’t right for you guys to be forced back here, away from the public.”

	Freddy hummed at that. “That may be, but we aren’t totally isolated back here. Most of the other animatronics here visit us, some more than others. We regularly speak with some of the workers as well.”

	Jeremy deflated. “It… It just doesn’t sit right with me. You guys are kept back here with only the occasional visit.” Jeremy’s mind wandered to another individual, one isolated by choice rather than by fate. “It all feels, well, lonely.” Just like the Marionette.

	Freddy started walking again, startling Jeremy. “Contrary to what you believe, we members of the old crew aren’t imprisoned back here. We can leave the Service Room at any time when it’s not store hours. We simply choose not to.” A massive hand suddenly came to rest on one of Jeremy’s shoulders, causing his knees to buckle. “Besides, we don’t need a constant stream of visitors to feel wanted. We have each other, and the employees, and the Toys. We’re all part of one big Fazbear family.”

	It was at that moment that they reached the door. Freddy went against Jeremy’s expectations, however, when he led the guard into another section of the room rather than take him out of it. The animatronic was surprisingly agile as it maneuvered around the many boxes and scrap lying on the floor. It was a matter of moments before they reached a sort of clearing free from debris. A Fazbear-themed lamp was laid on the ground nearby, casting a soft glow on the animatronics waiting there, something Jeremy assumed was for his benefit.

	While Freddy was walking across to take his place in a free spot opposite him, Jeremy studied the two new animatronics in front of him. It was difficult to tell who they were at first. Jeremy was horrified to see the condition they were in.

	To one side was a large rabbit, which Jeremy could assume was Bonnie. Most noticeable about him was his missing left arm and face. His costume, the color of which Jeremy was unable to ascertain due to the poor lighting, had more holes in it than Freddy’s had. The robot seemed sullen, hunched as it was in the corner.

	The last occupant of the room was certainly the old Chica. Although her suit itself was in slightly better condition than the other two, her jaw was split from her head in a gaping mess of teeth, and a multitude of wires dangled from her wrists in place of her missing hands.

	Freddy had found a somewhat comfortable looking wooden crate to sit on while Jeremy was examining the other two. When the guard turned to look at him, Freddy merely inclined his head and spread his arms.

	Jeremy swallowed hard and started to talk. What better place to start than introductions, he thought. “So, uh, I’m Jeremy. I’m the new night guard.” Awkwardly, he nodded to the two animatronics.

	The old Bonnie ignored him, turning what was left of his head to one side. The old Chica, however, stiffly waved at him in response. Jeremy cringed at the sounds of metal rubbing against metal. Silence fell upon the group once more, leaving Freddy to roll his eyes and harrumph to himself before speaking up.

	“Well, Mr. Fitzgerald, allow me to introduce my companions. The chicken to my left here is Chica,” he said, accompanying his statement with a gesture to one side, “and the rabbit who is refusing to cooperate is Bonnie.”

	Bonnie continued to ignore the group. Chica, though, spoke up. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jeremy. I apologize if we seem a tad aloof,” here she shot a look at Bonnie,” but we really aren’t used to talking to new people.” Her voice was kind, almost motherly.

	“Actually,” Freddy interjected, “that’s why Mr. Fitzgerald is here. He learned of our… existence and wants to talk with us about it. Straight from the robot’s mouth, so to speak.” Freddy then leaned back on his crate and looked at Jeremy expectantly.

	Jeremy cleared his throat and ruffled his hair. “Yes, well, I was just wondering what your feelings were about all of this.”

	“Well, we certainly aren’t glad to be in this position, but we still have each other,” Chica said, looking warmly at the other two.

	“But don’t you guys want to be out of here and entertaining kids?”

	“Of course we do!” butted in Bonnie. Apparently whoever removed his face didn’t do so gently, as his voice was harsh and filled with interference. “Why would we want to stay back here?”

	“That’s the point I was trying to make,” defended Jeremy. “I’m not satisfied with this, either. If you guys will say the word, I’ll talk with Phineas. Maybe he can help!”

	Bonnie scoffed at that, but before he could say anything else Chica interrupted. “Calm down you two. We don’t need an argument brewing back here.” She then turned to Bonnie. “We’ve all talked about this, Bonnie. I though you weren’t bitter anymore. Why didn’t you say anything?”

	As Bonnie grumbled in his corner, arms crossed, Chica turned to Jeremy. “Listen, deary, there are reasons we can’t perform anymore.”

	“But why?” Jeremy asked. “What reasons could there possibly be?”

	“Money first and foremost, Mr. Fitzgerald,” said Freddy.

	Jeremy looked at him incredulously. “How could money ever be justification for…” Jeremy made a sweeping motion with an arm, “...for all this?”

	Freddy sighed at that. “Please allow me to explain, Mr. Fitzgerald. This restaurant may be popular, but it isn’t actually making that much money. Making the Toy animatronics and moving to this location cost a lot. Repairing us, changing our costumes to be more modern, and supplying us with the new technology would be expensive.”

	Jeremy frowned. “I still don’t understand how that makes sense.”

	“You seem to not realize how expensive it would be. Management would have to scrap the Toys for parts and move to a smaller location to bring us back out.”

	Jeremy turned pale and sat back. This was horrible, much worse than he had realized. Seeing his expression, Freddy made attempts to reassure him. “Now now, Mr. Fitzgerald. In a couple more years there’ll be enough funds to repair us again. We could return to the spotlight soon.”

	Bonnie seemed to have had enough when he heard that. Kicking over a box in front of him, he loudly stomped into the dark recesses of the Service Room. Freddy and Chica watched him go, expressing as much sadness as they could with their broken down bodies and faces. Jeremy, meanwhile, was reflective. These old models obviously weren’t happy with how they were being forced to live, some less happy than others, but they were still hopeful, and the alternative to this was even worse. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but Jeremy would have to put up with it for now.

	The uncomfortable silence that had settled on the group was broken up by a new voice. “Avast! Wh-what be the long faces about?”

	Jeremy turned to face the new arrival and was dumbfounded. It was supposed to be a humanoid fox, but at this point it was more endoskeleton than suit. One hand was replaced by a dangerously sharp hook, and his teeth were even sharper. As Jeremy watched, the fox stuck his hook through one of the many holes on his eyepatch and lifted it up, revealing another working eye that squinted at the group.

	“It’s nothing, Foxy. We were just talking to the new night guard about why we’re back here,” Freddy said, and then frowned. “By the way, where were you? I told Bonnie to bring everyone here for this discussion.”

	“Aye, I was spinning some yarns for the k-kids. Enough of that, though. We have more important things to s-speak about.” Suddenly, he spun around wildly, arms flapping in the air. His hook came up to point at Jeremy. “For instance! What is the landlubber meant to call us?”

	Freddy looked confused. “I don’t understand what you mean, Foxy.” Chica seemed to share his befuddlement.

	“Listen up Fazbear, you’re not the only Freddy here. Same goes for all of us. The b-b-boy can’t go on calling us by the same names as the others.”

	“Well,” said Freddy, “I suppose you’re right about that. Let’s all think about what the guard can call us.”

	Jeremy was amazed. Foxy had swooced right in and completely changed the mood of the room. While he was speechless, Freddy clapped his hands. “I’ve got an idea. Owing to our dilapidated states, it became trendy for a while for some of the employees to call us the Withered animatronics. Why don’t we embrace it?”

	Although Jeremy was hesitant about potentially making light of what they were going through, Chica and Foxy seemed pleased. “It’s decided then,” Freddy said before addressing Jeremy. “You can call us by our proper names when it’s just us, of course, but for clarity’s sake our group will now be the ‘Withered’ to the other group’s ‘Toy’.”

	Jeremy left the room shortly after that, a bit more at ease than he had been before. It was tough for the newly christened ‘Withered’ bots, but he would just have to be as hopeful as they were. Anything else would come across as disrespectful. Privately, he promised to himself that he would do what he could to makes their lives better.

	As he walked down the hall to his office, Jeremy hoped to himself that this Wednesday wouldn’t have any more surprises. Unfortunately for him, he failed to notice the eyes watching him. As he was about to be reminded, the night was not yet over.