A New Feeling

☆ Chapter 8 ☆

The second official day on the job was fairly uneventful. The animatronics took turns entertaining guests, and overall, they did a good day's work.

After closing, though, everyone was once again silent and distant.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Bon-bon-?" Freddy asked nervously. The bunny brushed off his concerns.

"Trust me! He's really friendly!" Bonnie claimed. The bear sighed in doubt but entered the Funtime Auditorium regardless. When he saw the bear enter, the fox stood up and shook his head.

"Oh, no-no-no-no, don't bring him in here too!" Foxy complained.

"Relax! If you're going to be friends with me, you should be friends with him too." Bonnie said. The fox stomped over, his tail lashing in sass.

"We are not friends. We are a truce!" He corrected.

"Whatever you want to call it." The bunny shrugged. Foxy begrudgingly shook the bear's good hand, disgust visible on his face.

"Why are you always here after closing?" Bonnie asked. The fox scoffed.

"I am simply perfecting my skills." He answered. The bear rolled his eyes and Bonnie only nodded in understanding.

"You know, the only reason I am talking to you buffoons is because the others in this place are weird!" The fox claimed when they all sat. Bonnie tilted his head in confusion.

"You met the others?" Bonnie asked. Foxy cringed slightly.

"I tried to. They're just weird. One is too silent, the other is too... serious." He began

"Baby kind of creeps me out... I am not sure why -" He finished. Bonnie turned to Freddy, whose gaze was lowered and glancing at his fidgeting hand.

It was only then that he noticed Freddy hadn't been speaking yet. He still appeared very...shy.

It was almost like when they first met. Maybe that meant he was the same? After all, he remembered Bonnie right away, and he still somewhat acts the same, from what the bunny had seen. He is just louder and more on the wild side. He tapped Freddy's shoulder to get his attention.

"What exactly creeps you out about her?" Bonnie asked. Freddy now listened in more closely.

"I-I don't know! She wasn't rude, but she wasn't very welcoming, either. She was speaking like... like she was up to something... or knew something! It was just weird..." He complained.

"Hmm... I guess that makes sense. She is the mascot of this place..." Bonnie thought out loud. This caught Freddy's attention.

"Mascot?? I thought we were the mascots!" He complained. Bonnie gently stroked his arm to calm him down.

"Fred, this is a whole new place! Of course things will change..." He reassured. The fox groaned.

"Why is your voice so...not good?" Foxy asked Freddy bluntly. The bear blinked in surprise.

"Excuse me??" He asked.

"You heard me." Foxy responded. Before the bunny could interject, Freddy stood up in defense.

"Who do you think you are?? Your voice doesn't sound very good either!" He snapped.

"My voice projects, because I am an actor and people wish to hear my gorgeous baritone!" Foxy declared.

"Both of you, please!" Bonnie hopped in between them.

"Remember what I said about 'best behavior'?!" He glared at Foxy. The fox shut his mouth at that, backing down from the argument.

"And Freddy, calm down!" He scolded. The bear glared at Bonnie.

"But he started it, I'm just finishing i-!" He was cut-off.

"I don't care, you need to calm down!" Bonnie warned, holding his ground and eye contact with the bear. Freddy merely groaned but sat back down.

"It's been fun, Foxy... but maybe we should be going -" Bonnie suggested. The fox crossed his arms.

"Hmph! Go along then. I shall see the two of you clowns tomorrow!" He spat. Bonnie swiftly reconnected to Freddy's arm and gestured for him to leave. The bear sighed but agreed and began his treck back to the Breaker Room.

On their way back, as they passed through Ballora gallery, they were stopped in their tracks as the dancer twirled in front of them, blocking their path momentarily as she gracefully made her way over to their side. She huddled close to their faces so they could hear and whispered in a deep, hushed voice.

"Security has overheard your yelling. They will be coming to check on you on your stage." She said.

Freddy and Bonnie glanced at each other in worry before Bonnie spoke up.

"Thank you for the heads up, miss." He expressed thankfully. The dancer only nodded and disappeared back into the shadows, leaving Freddy and Bonnie to return to their area before the maintenance crew came.

~~

Bonnie quietly opened one eye at the sound of a few quiet voices approaching them. Two of them were examining Freddy while the other just watched. The other animatronics had quickly made their ways to the stage, too.

"You think he's becoming a danger again?" One of them examing Freddy asked.

"Well, maybe. According to the boss, he's had problems with aggression in the past." The other responded.

No...nonono, not again!

The bunny cried internally, watching the inspectors more closely.

"Maybe we should...bring him to the back?" One of them suggested.

Bonnie had to think fast. He can't let his partner get taken away again! He promised he'd protect him!

The other worker nodded. "Hmm, I don't know...he seems fine no-"

All the workers turned to the left in alarm at a new source of noise.

Bonnie was making erratic movements on Freddy's arm and yelling out cut-off and glitched scripted dialogue.

His plan worked as the crew's attention was immediately deverted to him as they reached up to remove him from the connector. Once he was off, he froze again, pretending to be powered off.

"Maybe he was the one making all the noise??" The third worker asked. The crew member holding him nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, let's get him checked out." They said, turning around with their supplies and the bunny.

Once their backs were turned, the bear's eyes immediately shot open and stared in horror as they took Bonnie. He almost approached until the bunny started glitching again and speaking out, startling the workers even more.

"E-everything is o-o-ok-ok-!" He yelled. The bear stopped in his tracks, catching on that the message was for him. He could only watch in worry as they headed off with the bunny.