Work Text:
“H ell o Ch ar les.”
The tall figure emerged from the foggy, white atmosphere. He held a large grin that reached the top of his cheek bones. The figure was so pale that he blended into the environment. The only thing that distinguished his figure was a long, black tie he wore. He stepped in front of Charles and tilted his head.
“I ha ve been watc hin g yo u, Ch ar les.”
Charles was unable to form a proper response, he only vocalized sputters and gasps. His body twitched as he tried to talk. After a few seconds of these sputters, he finally formed a coherent question.
“Wh..W ho ar e y ou?” He stuttered.
The figure twitched as well, but these jerks expressed more insanity than fear.
“I a m “bo n” …Wel come to Wond er lan d...” He said flatly.
After a long pause, “bon” continued.
“He re, yo u feel n o pai n. But u p the re, yo u ar e slow ly suff er in g.”
As Charles stood there, he felt off. Not only mentally, but physically. He slowly reached his hands up to his face and twitched. His face was completely twisted. His eyes were much closer to his forehead and his teeth protruded out of his mouth. As unnatural as his face was, he felt no pain. Just like "bon" said.
“Ho w d id I g et her e?”
As Charles asked this, he pondered about the figure in front of him. Was “bon” solely responsible for bringing him to Wonderland? The possibility was astronomically high, but as threatening as “bon” was to Charles, he was the only other being there. So, he had only one option: he needed to ask questions. The possibility of “bon” not answering truthfully was also high, but Charles had no other choice.
Once again, “bon” hit Charles with another long pause.
“You wer e brok en. No w, yo u wil l be beau tif ul.”
As “bon” said this, he pulled out a nicely wrapped gift that was held together by a bright red bow. The box itself had red and black stripes. Charles looked down at the gift. Most would be inclined to grab it, but Charles felt that this was no ordinary birthday present.
“Fo r y ou.”
“Bon” held the present closer to the broken man, so close that Charles would be unable to reject it without possibly angering the tall figure. He hesitantly grabbed the present from “bon”.
Twitching with nerves, Charles unwrapped the bow and took off the top. He gasped quietly at the sight.
Inside the box was a mask. A mask of a character that Charles was greatly accustomed to. It was a mask of Boozoo the Ringmaster. He stared at the shiny, plastic item with confusion. He looked up at “bon” with concern.
“Wh at…What doe s thi s me a n?”
“Bon” grabbed the mask and held it close to his face. He held it like it was an art project he was incredibly proud of.
“Thi s…I s t he n ew y ou.”
“Bon” handed the mask back to Charles. Even though his face had a permanent grin, “bon” seemed more excited. He waited, with slight spasms startling Charles. Charles held the mask, feeling the indents throughout. The face was perfect. Well, much more perfect than his own. What did “bon” want him to do with the mask? Did he want him to put it on? To hide his imperfections? Charles looked up at “bon” for confirmation.
“Bon” only stared at Charles, still holding that dumb grin.
Charles, unsure of the outcomes, put on the mask. He stood there. Waiting.
Nothing.
“W hat ? Wha t is th is fo r?”
“Clo se you r ey es, Cha rles.”
Charles twitched. He slowly closed his eyes and…
“Open.”
Charles quickly opened his eyes and realized he was in a much darker location. He squinted his eyes, hoping they would adjust to the environment. Once they did, he finally realized where he was. He was in the backstage area of Bon’s Burgers. Charles saw no other beings in the room with him, he just saw Bon the Rabbit.
However, Charles was not quite himself.
Charles looked down at his body and already caught onto his circumstances. He had a large metal body. He was not human, no, no, he was animatronic.
“This is the new you.” A disembodied voice said.
All Charles could do was lay there. He could not scream. He could not cry. All he could do was listen and watch. As he scanned the room again, he noticed a much smaller being. It was a grey rabbit. He recognized the rabbit, but he could not place where it came from. The doll also couldn’t move, or at least that’s what Charles thought. As he was distracted by the rabbit doll, the disembodied voice came back.
“Welcome back, Boozoo.”
Everything made sense now. Charles was Boozoo the Ringmaster. The animatronic he helped program. The animatronic he would walk past every day, never batting an eye.
He was now stuck inside Boozoo for all of eternity.