Party Time (Request ten-seventeen-seventeen)

Out of the corner of her peripheral vision, Circus Baby watched Bonnie. She was attached to Freddy, who was tucked away in the right corner on a stage, diagonally across from Baby. The party was moving to the next room over, where cake was being served and the children were having all sorts of fun.

“It must be a very special day for someone,” Baby thought as the last parent and child left the room. She, Freddy, and Bonnie waved them goodbye. After the door closed, Freddy angled his arm down.

“Ready, Bon-Bon?” Freddy asked.
“You bet!”, Bonnie replied. She twisted off his arm and fell onto the floor, her plastic smacking the tiled floor with an obnoxious echo. Baby felt a rush of anger, but reeled herself in.

“Do you know where to go?”, she asked.
“Down this way, then a right turn,” Bonnie said, pointing towards the hallway entrance.
“Do you know what to do?”
“Memorize what I see?”, Bonnie asked uncertainly.
“What do you think she is, a dummy?”, Freddy butted in. There was an accusatory tone.
How Baby hated that shrill, ear-piercing voice of his.
“Get back, soon”, Baby said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Bonnie said. She skittered down the hallway with loud, plastic squeaking, pulling herself along the floor with her arms.

Circus Baby moved off the stage, as did Freddy.

“Now what, Baby?”
“We wait.”

Bonnie came back after a couple minutes, climbing up Freddy’s leg and slithering down his arm onto its stump.
“What did you see?”, Baby asked.
“Most of them are at the table with Jerry, but some are in the other rooms.”
“Which rooms?”
“Hm…”, Bonnie trailed off.
“Which rooms?,” Baby asked again, with agitation.
“Oh, I remember! Ballora Gallery and Funtime Auditorium.”
“Thank you,” Baby said.

“So what now?”, Freddy asked.
“Follow me, and then we split up.”
“But what if I screw up?” Freddy’s voice lowered into a whisper. “I like Mr. Afton. I don’t wanna disappoint him.”
“I won’t.

Baby and Freddy moved down the hall, turning on the corner to head towards the Party Room.
They could see a throng of children and parents gathered around Jerry the clown and the birthday girl, who was sitting in front of a cake.

Baby noticed the smile on the girl’s face, and stopped. She thought about what type of home life the girl must have, and where her future was going. How happy she was! She probably has a family, who would miss her very much. For a second, Baby thought about making eye contact with Jerry, and initiating the procedure. But that’d be too risky.

And Mr. Afton hates risks.

Baby turned, and followed Freddy down to the two hallways. She jerked an arm towards the corridor to Ballora Gallery while Bonnie pointed towards the Funtime Auditorium. Freddy nodded, and the animatronics went on their paths.

In Ballora Gallery, Minireenas dangled from the ceiling, hanging off of the ceiling lights and framed photographs. The things repulsed Baby. They were small, fast, and annoying. Much like the Bidybabs, but at least they served a purpose. The entire point of the Minireenas (at least, as they were marketed) was to be in the background, while the Bidybabs were actually active and playful. The Bidybabs were running about and playing tag with kids. The tiny doll-things were closer to cockroaches than actual performers. Small, easily crushed, and able to keep going without their head. They might have names, but they were more like pets or experiments than friends or siblings.

Baby really wasn’t sure why Afton let Ballora keep those things around, or why she kept making them. Maybe it was to boost her ego. For someone as haughty as Ballora, she sure liked to spend time with disgusting bug people and sleazy dads.

At the end of the hallway was Ballora spinning on her stage. Orange lights rained from above, making the blue parts of her costuming pop, while projecting a silhouette onto the curtain behind her. “How does she find enjoyment out of this? What’s the point of any of this? At least my pleasure is productive,” Baby thought. She moved her focus to the foot of the stage, and scanned the audience. There was a lone black child, in a sea of white and brown adults. Maybe this would do.

Baby undulated her left pigtail, looking up at Ballora. After a few seconds, Ballora stopped dancing, and stepped off the stage.
“Hello, Circus Baby,” Ballora said. She put her hands on the front of the plastic chunk of a “skirt” and bent over. “You should go look at my den, it has a lot of neat toys,” she said in a scolding, motherly tone. The hollow eyes destroyed any illusion of sincerity. Baby hated Ballora and everything about her, but this hate only exacerbated her eagerness to find a child and let off some steam. Ballora sauntered off with the group while Baby climbed on stage.

After watching Ballora walk off, she moved towards the curtain. Ballora’s “den” reeked, and trusting her was a crapshoot. But sometimes she came through. Baby stepped inside the curtain, and saw countless silk pods on the walls, of various size and location. At the very back of the corridor was a larger, human shaped cocoon. No child in sight, but plenty of minireena parts. Baby walked towards the cocoon anyways, each step bringing various crunches. Like the sound of bones being broken. They became a little grating after a while.

Baby stood in front of the milky-white cocoon, and listened. She could hear some muffled sounds coming from it, but they were much deeper than a child’s. No, this would not do. Was it supposed to be some sort of joke? Was Ballora just trying to waste everyone’s time? Baby was going to walk back to the Party Room, when she remembered how unusually condescending Ballora was earlier. So Baby reached out two hands, and felt around in the top of the mass for a soft, round lump. She gripped each side with one hand, as the sounds intensified. Then she brought them together, crushing the white mass in her hands.

It might’ve been too late, and it might’ve been petty, but it was a clean act that wasn’t too messy. The silk came off of Baby’s hands like cobweb, and nobody would suspect a thing. Except Ballora, of course.

Baby moved down towards the Party Room, and decided that she would check in on Freddy and that disgusting, silent freak. She made a u-turn, as she exited Ballora Gallery and was going to enter the hallway to Funtime Auditorium when she caught sight of the birthday girl. Alone, and finishing off a piece of cake in her seat. Jerry and Ballora must’ve moved everyone into the Playroom. Baby looked at a stationary Bidybab, and made eye contact with it.

The Bidybab followed Baby’s gaze, which moved towards the girl. It hesitated for a second, and then ran up to the girl.

“Tag!”, it yelled. It tapped the girl’s leg.
“Hey, no fair!” she exclaimed. She stood up out of her seat, and chased after the Bidybab as it ran towards Funtime Auditorium. She followed it, pounding after the little robot baby.
“Hey, Bon-Bon. We have a guest!”, a voice exclaimed.
Baby heard the voice, and hustled towards the auditorium. This was her catch. It was her idea, she should be the one to take it.
“Hi!” the girl said. She waved to Freddy and Bonnie, who were standing at the end of the hallway. Foxy was probably in the Playroom with the rest. Freddy and Bonnie waved back. The girl’s back was facing Baby. Without the face, the girl looked familiar. The pink shirt and blonde hair brought back some memories. These memories were soon ignored, as Baby moved closer to the girl, who was still unaware.

Baby grabbed the girls’ arms, as she lifted the child up. Her hatch opened, and Baby crammed the child inside herself. It was swift. There was no time for screaming. No time for a struggle. Just moving the child inside, in a well-rehearsed motion. As the hatch closed, Baby felt a tight, pressing sensation inside herself. Like she was a bit heavier now. The mechanisms would surely have done their trick by now. This assumption was proven correct, as Freddy pointed out that Baby was leaking raspberry ice cream from her nozzles.


“Hey, you’re right,” Baby said. “Cool.”

There was no greater pleasure than the thrill of a catch. Hunting was a fine art, one that none of Baby’s cohorts could appreciate or love as much as she did.
Lines of code couldn’t have built this in. This was a real enjoyment. A genuine love.

A real human feeling.