Chapter Text
Bonnie sat on the back of Freddy’s couch, one foot up on the armrest to support the bass in his lap, the other leg dangling over the side. He plucked the instrument absentmindedly as he waited for Freddy to get back from Parts and Services.
Eventually the door slid open and Freddy stepped inside. He spotted Bonnie and immediately shook his head, “Bonnie, must you insist on never using furniture properly?”
Bonnie rapped his fingers on his bass, “Yup.”
Freddy merely rolled his eyes and sat in front of his vanity, “The show today went quite well, I think.”
“Mhmm. Did you notice that one kid screaming so loud-”
“His face turned red? Yes, I noticed!”
Bonnie tossed his head back, “Redder than Foxy’s tail, hahah!”
A voice echoed through the mall, announcing closing time. Bonnie sighed at the voice, “I don’t like that voice. It’s too… I dunno. I don’t like it. It sounds like it’s seen a building burn down.”
“That is… strangely specific,” said Freddy with a raised eyebrow. “I saw Monty earlier today. He is getting along quite well with the kids, especially the ones who play tag with him.”
Bonnie chuckled, “Big man should be in the daycare. Stars know Sun could use the help.”
“A place like the daycare is rather...”
“Oh yeah,” Bonnie cringed, “loud, really bright, all the attention, kids even more hyper on those candies that are somehow legal. Gator wouldn’t like it.”
“He would not.”
Silence fell. Freddy’s ears twitched. Usually Bonnie would always have something to say, but he seemed distracted tonight. The rabbit plucked at his guitar again and Freddy decided to inspect his reflection. Distant music leaked through the seams of the greenroom’s soundproof walls. The clock ticked on, and still Bonnie played in silence.
“Is something bothering you, Bonnie?” Freddy finally asked.
The rabbit didn’t move, “Just… thinking, I guess. Been a big day.”
Midnight echoed through the mall as the building closed down for the night. Bonnie abruptly stood and aimed for the door, “Night, Fred.”
“Where are you going?”
“Room. I got some things to do,” Bonnie said, reaching for the door’s button.
“Bonnie.”
He stopped.
“You know you are not responsible for finding those children.”
Bonnie sighed, “I know, I’m just… I’m close to something, Fred. I’m not sure exactly to what , but I’m close.”
“And what if what you are getting close to will get you hurt? I have heard the people suspect someone is killing those children, Bonnie! What if whoever is doing it finds out you are on their trail and does the same to you?”
The rabbit’s ears drooped under Freddy’s raised tone, “I won’t get in over my head this time. Promise.”
“I am serious, Bonnie,” Freddy scowled, “For this to be happening again, I… I do not want to lose a brother again.”
Bonnie’s ear perked as his head tilted, “Again? Since when have we ever been apart, you silly old bear?” he chuckled and reached to fist bump Freddy’s shoulder, but the bear moved out of reach, his eyes sparking with a quelled inner fire and strangely distant.
“Fred, look. I’m not worried because I know you’ll be there! Someone comes at me with a crowbar, smashes my face off, and locks me in some closet, I know you’re gonna come for me!”
Freddy’s eyes widened, “Why would you joke about that?!”
“Because I got faith in my big brother! Besides, I’m not some kid in the daycare scared o’ Moon. Whoever’s doing this, they’re only human, right?”
“I still cannot help but worry,” said Freddy, shaking his head. Bonnie hugged him, “I’ll be alright. I’ll figure it out and we can all sleep without dreams again.”
Freddy returned the hug, “Please be careful.”
“Stars, Fred, you’re such a mama bear,” Bonnie chuckled. He patted Freddy’s back and pulled away with a sigh. He quirked an eyebrow, then reached up and honked Freddy’s nose. The bear was quick to retaliate, grabbing the rabbit as he tried to flee and putting him in a headlock. Bonnie squealed with laughter as Freddy turned his right ear and pulled it down, making him emit a canned cheering noise.
Freddy then released his brother and let him bound away.
Hours later, in his room, Bonnie combed through internet articles and news reports dating as far back as the 1980s. A lot of the information was incomplete, some of it contradicted itself, and the infuriating lack of organization made his head spin. Then there was the fact that he couldn’t reliably figure out what was real and what was conspiracy theory. Despite all that, what he had figured out deeply disturbed him.
Fazbear entertainment had been around for a while, over 40 years. Over the course of its existence, almost four dozen counts of mysterious disappearances, horrific injuries, and deaths had been associated with the franchise, including missing children cases that had long since gone cold.
Surrounding it all was a mysterious Fazbear Killer who had never been caught but always struck near or in a Fazbear establishment. Bonnie was certain he was close to figuring out who was behind all the slaughter, but the obscene amount of theories muddied any facts.
That is, until he found a small website by a former Faz-Ent employee. One peek into the site’s code and Bonnie figured he’d found something legit. The code dripped with hidden links and ciphers, pointing in all the directions Bonnie had been looking to go.
“Thank you, Mister… Cowton?” Bonnie muttered as he pulled up every byte of data, “More helpful than the entire internet. Ooh, hello, index.”
The guide took him to a collection of articles. Bonnie selected one about the company’s founders and began reading aloud to himself.
“Let’s see, two founders, one ‘Henry Emily whose daughter was a victim of the Fazbear Killer’, oh that poor man. Let’s see, ‘died in a fire which burnt down the last Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Place.’ Uh… other founder, a ‘mechanical maniac who lost his children to fatal accidents with his own creations’. Jeez, these guys can’t catch a break.
“‘The co-founder was at one point suspected of being the Killer but was released when no evidence could be found against him’. Okay cool, where’s the guy’s name? ‘Sister location’... ‘daughter went missing, son killed by robot malfunction, other son missing’... guy himself ‘went missing under mysterious circumstances in the 90s… declared dead…’. Where the scrap is his name ?”
“‘Some suspect Fazbear Killer’s return following string of disappearances from PizzaPlex mall,’ yes, I know that! What’s this guy’s name? I swear, I’m gonna call him Vincent or something if you don’t tell me…”
Bonnie combed through another layer of code. A part had been redacted several times and was locked behind a separate firewall. “What’s with this? Got secrets, do ya?” He decoded a layer easily, revealing a warning. ‘HIS NAME HAS POWER’ it read.
“Yes, and?” Bonnie chipped through.
‘IF YOU GOT THIS FAR, CONGRATULATIONS. TAKE A COOKIE AND LEAVE.’
“Well I can’t eat, so I think I’ll keep going.”
‘THEY BURNED.’
“Uh…huh…”
The messages kept coming.
‘I TRIED. IT WONT END. THEY WONT MOVE ON.’
‘ONE IS ANGRY. ONE IS JUST. ONE NEEDS BLOOD.’
‘HE IS IN PIECES.’
‘A PIT OF HELL IS EMPTY.’
‘WHY ARE YOU HERE? DO YOU WANT A FREE TOASTER?’
‘FINAL WARNING.’
‘HE WILL TRAP YOU.’
“Just give me his scrappin’ name!” Bonnie growled.
The final censor fell. There in violet text was his answer, written in base 64.
“William Afton?”
The lights flickered. Bonnie lowered his internal HUD and the websites, taking note of his dimmed room. Something buzzed in the air just out of his field of view. He stood and glanced around. Nothing seemed out of place, the plushies and bowling pins still sat piled in a corner next to his bench, his bass leaned against the vanity, on which was a collection of stickers and facepaints for kids. Pictures of children that had visited him hung everywhere on the walls, and a tv sat like a brick at the end of the bench.
Nothing had been disturbed, yet Bonnie had a distinct feeling something was in the room with him.
The lights flickered again. His tv turned on. It played a jingle that distorted into glitching static. Bonnie approached it carefully. “Hello?”
The screen showed falling static laced with purple and green glitches. Something moved in the static as stuttering noises like a voice grated through the speakers. Bonnie knelt before the screen, peering into it. “Who are you?”
More static and glitching, then a word stuttered through, “ D̸͚̾ḙ̸̂a̶͙̓t̴̢̐ĥ̶̙.̷̢̋ ̸͗͜”
Bonnie squinted, “You’re the killer, aren’t you? You’ve come back and now you’re taking kids again.”
"̷̱̋Ý̷̹o̴̥̓u̴̺͋ ̸̀͜k̵̯͐n̷̩̽o̵̦͘w̴̭̃.̴̜͌.̴̢́.̵̢́"̴̜̀
“I think I do. You’re William Afton, aren’t you?”
"̷̠͝Y̷̤̾o̵̼͊ǘ̶͈ ̷̻̍k̴̫͛n̴̻̊o̷͙̊ẅ̸̙́ ̶̹̋m̶̖̌ỹ̵͈ ̷̜̕n̷̰͂ä̵̧́ṃ̵̑ë̷̦́.̷̙͊ ̸̰̑Y̴̠͑ŏ̴̰u̷̗͐ a̵͍͝ȓ̴̻e̵̪͐ ̴̮̈́â̸̩ ̷̤́s̶̟̽ȅ̶̗ć̷̻ụ̷̅r̷͙͝i̵̯͊t̴͍̐y̴̜̌ ̵͎͋b̵̙͛ŗ̷̀e̶̟̿ȧ̵̱c̸̙̈́h̵̗̓.̷̼͑"̸͍̽ ̷̪͋
The static turned purple.
Something sank into the back of Bonnie’s neck.
Pain erupted through his skull as his limbs moved on their own. His vision filled with purple and green.
"̶O̸b̴e̶y̴.̶"̵ said the voice, clearer and coming from inside Bonnie’s head.
“Agh! N-no! No, I won’t…!”
"̷Y̴o̴u̴ ̷w̵e̵r̸e̸ ̸a̴l̷w̸a̸y̴s̸ ̷m̷y̴ ̸f̷a̴v̴o̵r̷i̶t̶e̵.̸ ̸O̴b̸e̸y̴ .̶"̸
Bonnie gripped his head, curling on his knees. “Get… out of my… h-head!” His control slipped away piece by piece as his blue code was flooded with purple. “Leave me alone! I won’t obey you!”
"You won't have a choice."
Bonnie felt himself get kicked to the back seat of his own mind. Something evil took over. Bonnie rushed forward to regain control, but the thing in his mind threw him back. His body stood, silent and murderous. It walked over to the vanity, its purple eyes glowing in the mirror.
“S-stop this!” Bonnie pleaded, trying to fight back, “You can’t do this! Let me out!”
His body picked up the bass.
“Please! Let me go! F-Freddy, help!”
The thing walked him out of his room and started for the atrium.
Bonnie tried again, reaching for the thing controlling him, “Get out!”
The thing, a glitched, black shape with torn eyes and a jagged grin, turned and lifted a hand toward Bonnie. Shackles clamped down on Bonnie’s arms and legs as chains wound around him like snakes. He pulled and struggled and screamed, but nothing stopped the glitched shape from dragging him farther into the dark, away from control of his own body.
Bonnie writhed and struggled for all he was worth. “You won’t get away with this!” he screamed defiance at the dark thing, “My friends will find out! We’ll stop you!”
The thing merely chuckled. “You can’t.”
As chains encased Bonnie’s body, the only thing he could think of was that his brother was right. He’d gone too far. Now… he may never come back.
“Freddy,” he whispered as darkness swallowed him, “I’m sorry.”
It had been a tiring day for Monty. So many more kids wanted to see him and his attraction but as a result, he found himself drained so much faster. He felt bad when he got overwhelmed and had to retreat to the catwalks for a bit, but at least the worker knew that meant he needed some time.
But now, the mall was closed. Now his domain was free of little screaming humans. Now it was peaceful, as swamps ought to be.
Monty stood near the entrance of the putting greens, foot tapping and tail swaying along to a song he hummed. His mind drifted aimlessly to far away places with giant trees and waterfalls, with lakes to swim and mountains to climb. Then he’d imagine soaring through space, fighting pirates and exploding ships.
Sometimes he’d think about who he’d be in the band. Maybe a drummer? He quite liked the idea of being able to hit things with sticks and it be considered music. But then he’d look up and be blinded by the spotlights while the crowd roared. They were too excited-... they cheered his name but it hurt…!
Monty came back down to the swamp and started focusing on the lyrics he was humming. He was fine. He could relax. Nothing was wrong. He was in a dark and quiet place all his own. He wouldn’t be forced on stage under the scorching lights and deafening crowds.
He got to one part of the chorus he liked and swayed, clicking his tongue and enunciating the words before resuming the hum.
Then he heard something behind him. A shadow moved on the floor.
Something blunt slammed into the side of his head. Monty yelped. His vision fuzzed as he hit the floor and tried to look up at whatever hit him. He saw someone standing over him with a bass raised above their head. Monty squinted through his clearing vision, “Bonnie?”
The bass hurled toward his face and Monty just barely twisted out of the way. He thought fast and grabbed the bass, yanking it out of Bonnie’s hands as he regained his feet. “Bonnie! Whut in the hey’s gotten inta ya?”
The rabbit’s eyes snapped to his, flashing purple.
Monty tensed. “Bon?”
Bonnie dug his claws into his own forearm and ripped the shell, exposing his endoskeleton and creating sharp edges. His jaw hung slack but his mouth curled with a horrible grin. “Follow me,” he hissed with a glitching voice.
Monty glanced at the bass in his hand, then at his brother. “I think I’ll stay here. B-but whatever you’re doin’ I’m sure it can’t be resolved with a civil talk.”
Bonnie started giggling. The sound rose, shaking his body as it became louder, maniacal, sending shivers through Monty’s core. Bonnie threw his head back and howled with cackling laughter. He then stopped, locked eyes on Monty, and lunged .
Monty lifted the bass, barely stopping Bonnie’s claws. Bonnie ripped the instrument out of his grasp then threw his shredded arm across Monty’s jaw. The gator winced as sharp edges scraped across his throat. His circuits spasmed even before he registered Bonnie’s fist slamming into his abdomen.
Monty fell to his hands and knees, his internal HUD alerting him of damage.
“You’re a threat to me, brother ,” Bonnie sneered before jamming his claws into Monty’s head and slamming his face into the floor, “You were meant to replace me. But I won’t let that happen!”
“Bonnie, wai-!” Monty grunted as Bonnie bashed his face into the floor again. “Y-you know me, I weren’t ever wantin’ ta replace anyone! I hate th’ crowds! You an’ Fred will always run the shows!”
Bonnie stood, dragging Monty upright by the head. Monty hissed and reached for the claws holding him, but couldn’t stop the rabbit hurling him into a railing. Monty slumped down, his mind racing.
This couldn’t be Bonnie. He wouldn’t attack like this! None of them were programmed to be capable of violence!
He used the railing to drag himself up until he could get his feet under himself. “Bon. Please. Whatever I did, I’m sorry!”
Bonnie grabbed him by the tail and slung him across the room. Monty pushed himself up, his arms shaking. He caught sight of the ladder to the catwalks nearby and got an idea. Bonnie was scared of heights! He’d never follow up there!
Monty scrambled to his feet and bolted for the catwalks. He was too big to use the ladders, but he’d long since perfected a path through the support beams he could jump through. A few leaps brought him to the steel paths above the swamp where he swung himself over the railing and looked down, trying to spot Bonnie.
The rabbit was nowhere to be found. Did he give up? Monty swept his gaze over the attraction but still couldn’t see him. Electricity raced through his circuits in a frantic pulse. He was used to games of hide and seek when he was the hunter. Now, inexplicably, he was being hunted. And by his own brother! The cheery blue bunny who was the first to welcome him! Sure, he was excitable at times but he was the one who helped the others understand when Monty needed time alone! Bonnie was the first to understand him.
So why was he trying to destroy him?
Monty figured he’d patrol the catwalks for a bit, keep his eyes down and stay out of Bonnie’s reach.
He turned. Purple eyes met his. A horrid shriek sent a short through his circuits before claws gouged into his chest and side.
Monty cried out with pain and terror. Bonnie wouldn’t be caught dead on the catwalks! How was he up here?! The gator fought to keep his balance as Bonnie shoved and clawed and snapped. He grabbed Bonnie’s ear to hold his head back, but Bonnie yanked forward, tearing off his ear and sinking his teeth into the unprotected elbow joint of Monty’s arm.
Monty screamed and reached his other hand to pry the rabid rabbit off his arm. Oil and motor fluid leaked from both of them, dripping like black blood over their metal skin. Monty managed to dislodge Bonnie’s grip, but he lunged again and pinned Monty to the railing.
The railing creaked under the weight of the two robots.
Monty glanced at the drop below, “B-Bonnie, stop! You’re gonna throw us over the edge!”
A grating scream was his only reply. The railing buckled. Bonnie kept attacking.
Monty tried one last time to shove Bonnie away. His damaged arm couldn’t help him and it only gave Bonnie more leverage to slam them against the railing again.
The metal beam snapped.
They fell.
Monty kicked Bonnie away and twisted in midair, landing on his feet. The momentum forced him to pitch forward, tumbling into a roll before coming to a harsh stop on his back.
He lay on the floor, spread eagle and dazed. But he forced himself to sit up and get eyes on Bonnie.
Bonnie lay in a crumpled heap on the ground. He’d landed head-first and snapped the connectors in his neck, leaving his head connected by only a few pistons. Monty carefully knelt next to him and turned him over, “Bon? Are you-!”
Bonnie’s eyes snapped open and he grabbed Monty’s shoulder. His mouth opened, but not to snap. His voice stuttered through a broken speaker as he brought his other hand to his throat, “S-sto-op-op… hi-i-m-im…”
Then Bonnie shredded the last of the connections in his throat. His head jerked back under its own weight and thunked to the ground. His body went limp, then fell.
Monty scrambled back with a gasp. His hand clicked against something. He looked down and found Bonnie’s star-shaped sunglasses. His fingers shook as he picked them up.
The vague reflection showed wide, scared eyes that wouldn’t focus.
He looked back at his brother’s body. Black blood leaked from his wounds and neck and pooled under him. Monty gripped the glasses, “Bo-... Bon?”
The voice of a worker called through the gloom, “Hey! What’s going on in here?”
Monty backed away from the voice. If he was seen with Bonnie they might assume-! He panicked and ran off, hiding the best he knew how in the darkest corners of his swamp.
—Days Later, In Parts And Services—
“Whaddaya mean ya ain’t fixin’ him?!” Monty demanded.
The technician on the other side of the glass shrugged, “Look, bud, I get it, you guys are programmed to be best friends, but you really shouldn’t be bothered by this.”
“It’s not just programmin’ dang it, he’s my brother! Why aren’t ya fixin’ him?”
The tech sighed and muttered something about not getting paid enough, “Alright, robot, you really wanna know? The guys up top think you shredded him.”
“What?!”
“There were signs of a struggle. Both of you were missing pieces that wouldn’t have just happened from a fall off the catwalks.”
Monty struggled to glare at the tech from his position in the maintenance chair, “I wouldn’t never hurt anyone, you know that!”
“Then what happened, huh? Did he attack you ?”
For once, Monty didn’t snap back an answer. He didn’t want to admit that Bonnie betrayed their trust. Bonnie was popular and friendly, and yet… something made him turn. Was Bonnie ever genuine? Or was it always just a facade? Monty wasn’t sure anymore.
“Well?”
Monty forced a sneer through his teeth, “Ah, believe what ya want. I ain’t denyin’ anythin’.
“Uh-huh. Well whatever happened, rabbit’s bein’ decommissioned and you’re gonna be the new bassist in the band.”
If it was possible for a robot’s voice to crack, Monty’s did. “That right?”
“Yeah. Looks like you’ll get your shot to be a star. Get ya outta that dark swamp. Heh, maybe you’ll be even more popular than Bonnie.”
Monty didn’t say anything else as the tech started working. He didn’t trust himself to keep composure.
— —
“Monty?”
“Whaddya doin’ here, Fazbear.”
Freddy stopped, keeping his distance from the gator currently hunched over the catwalk railing. “I just… wanted to see if you were alright.”
“Bonnie’s dead ‘n’ I’m replacin’ him. Take a wild guess as to how I’m feelin’.”
“It is just… we have not seen you for days.”
Monty scoffed, “Heh! Yeh, figured ya wouldn’t. ‘Specially when the guys downstairs been puttin’ bits o’ Bonnie inta me.” He lifted a hand, showing off his new claws, “Upgraded with his spare parts so I can pluck them strings. Also got lines o’ his code fed straight into my brain. You got any idea what that’s like?” he gripped the railing, leaving scratches in the metal, “Havin’ bits o’ someone else’s mind threaded through yours like a… a bad patch job sewn with different colored string… heheh, heck of an experience, I’ll tell ya that.”
“Monty… if you wish to talk about this-”
“I don’t!” Monty snapped, a growl escaping his throat. “There’s nothin’ ta talk about. I’m replacin’ him and soon enough I’ll be replacin’ you.”
“... What do you mean?”
Stars, Monty hated how Freddy said that. He hated the anger flaring in him. He had no reason to be secretive or distance himself. But he couldn’t tell Freddy what happened. If the bear knew his oldest friend and brother had been… a fake… it would break him far too deeply.
Monty couldn’t do that. He’d rather destroy his own reputation if it meant Bonnie’s memory would remain untainted.
The gator forced a grin onto his muzzle, “Ya know what the fellas downstairs think o’ me? They told me I’m gonna be a star, shine brighter than Bonnie ever did. An’ you know what I told them?” He turned, ignoring the dents he left in the railing and making sure Freddy could see the star-shaped glasses over his eyes. “I ain’t denyin’ anything.”
Freddy looked at him like he was a stranger, with a mix of fear and pity.
“So here’s how it’s gonna go from here on out, Fazbear,” Monty approached, deliberately stomping his feet and using every inch of his size to square up Freddy, “You’re the band lead and I’ll give you that respect. But don’t expect me to give ya anythin’ else. From now on we ain’t friends, and you better start livin’ like your days are numbered, ‘cause for all you know-” he leaned his head down and glared over the glasses, “- they are. ”
A wounded sadness crossed Freddy’s face before he blinked and replaced it with reluctant acceptance. “Very well. So be it, Montgomery Gator.”
“Now get outta my swamp.”
As the doors closed behind Freddy, Monty stood alone on the catwalks. A newly broken air gun lay in shredded pieces at his feet.
He was often alone. That never bothered him.
Never before had he felt so lonely.