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That next day, the security guard had been talking with the mechanics about Foxy's statement from last night. Not only did it scare him deeply, but his mind on the animatronics becoming self aware had definitely been changed since then. He may be overthinking it, since Foxy could've just blurted out anything, since the robots tend to become more inactive later in the day, but it still scared him.

The mechanics denied that Foxy would say such a thing, and had brushed this off. The security guard tried to get them to listen, but that only resulted in them walking off, whispering something about him being a lunatic. And, as the security guard got back to post and sat in his chair, he stared at the table for more than half of his shift.

Maybe he WAS a little crazy. After all, being in a kid's pizzeria does make your whole attitude and mood change, which would result in some....sanity being left out. Maybe he just IMAGINED Foxy saying that.

Smirking, he went back to the monitors. Yeah. It was all in his imagination.

--

It had been a few months after Foxy's supposed "self-aware sentence". Many of the employees still got onto the security guard's case, and they all had joked it about since then. Even though he brushed all of their remarks at the time, he was unaware of one of the other employees actually considering if Foxy was becoming a bit self-aware. If he was, then they'd end up using another model in hopes to not have any of the animatronics thinking for themselves.

This employee had approached Foxy during work hours and had, despite her will not to look childish or silly at the time, asked Foxy if he really said what the security guard had claim. Much to her relief, the animatronic simply responded, "I don't recall statin' such a thing, lass. Maybe the lad's got some scurvy?"

Needless to say, she ended up leaving an orange on his desk later that night. Just for Foxy's sake, anyway.

Besides the light joking of the employees to the poor guard, the restaurant had actually been doing well. They managed to air a successful commercial promoting the restaurant, and had ended up getting more customers since then. The band was a hit, and Pirate Cove was getting new additions added on.

More decorations were lined and painted on the walls in Pirate Cove so it'd give you a more "pirate"-like atmosphere. Waves and boats with islands were painted on the walls, and, heck, even the artist agreed to paint Foxy sailing one of the ships! Foxy's stage had decorations on the back wall so it'd look like Foxy was standing on an island as he did his shows with his audiences. He even had a few more parts added onto him so he was able to sit down, which was added so he could sit on a wooden box as he'd talk about some of his past "adventures" to the children.

The band got plenty of more decorations, too. New speakers were added so the music would have more quality, sound-wise, and the stage had gotten some extra decorations in the back. New tables were added for more guests that weren't attending any parties, and the playground had even gotten more additions.

Needless to say, everything was going so well. Besides the pricing being a bit higher than usual(which you can thank the boss for), everyone still enjoyed their stay and some were recommending for parties to be attended there. This still didn't raise the suspicions of the animatronics walking around for the parents, though.

It didn't matter, so long as the money was still coming in. At least that's what the owner had claimed at the time. Even though the employees were doing it for the money as well, seeing the children so happy was a boost for everyone. Even the animatronics, whom were starting to observe their surroundings more.

It was another typical day at the pizzeria. A lot more activities were going on, since of the new decorations and additions to the playground, which would give the children more to observe and explore. Their eyes lit up at everything in their sight, and it was surely one of the best days of their lives. You could tell.

The animatronics were walking around, like usual. There were about 3 parties going on that day, so it was quite busy. Balloons, cakes, and kids with party hats were spotted everywhere. The Birthday boy/girl would be a wearing a crown, with the females receiving a birthday wand as the males received a toy truck. Typical.

Foxy was walking around, observing some of the new decorations himself. Many would think that the bot was in sleep mode or something, due to how long he had been standing and staring at the art on the walls. But then he'd move, which would dismiss their concerns.

Foxy walked over to the stage, observing some of the decorations added to the lower part of it. What caught his sight, instead, was a child sitting at a bench in the corner, resting his elbow on the table as he looked at the ground. He looked...sad, to say at the least.

Foxy, by natural instinct, then walked over to the child. As soon as he reached them, he then paused, which was rare among the animatronics. They usually knew what to say to children, but Foxy showing hesitation revealed that his signals were a bit slower.

It didn't matter, anyway, because the child glanced over at him, and ended up jumping. He nearly slipped off the table, but caught himself as his eyes widened, looking at the animatronic.

Foxy asked, "How are ye' doin', Lad?"

The child blinked, not giving him a response. He looked surprised, which was a response itself, really.

Foxy ignored this as he observed the kid. After seeing his attire, the animatronic commented, "I see yer' carryin' a toy truck, lad. Just guessin' 'ere, but is it yer' special day t'day?"

The child looked at the toy truck that was visible in his jacket pocket. He looked to the floor as he said, "Yeah. It is."

Foxy looked up from the kid and to the rest of the table. Everything was empty, despite some party hats laying on them, awaiting for the other guests to put on. Some balloons were put, too, but the only thing in sight on the table that was used was the kid's plate, which had some unfinished cake lying on it.

Foxy looked back at the kid as he asked, "Where are yer' friends?"

The kid gave him a look. "What friends?"

Oh, boy.

"'Ye don't have any friends? That'd be the most surprisin' thing ol' Foxy has heard all day, it is."

"Just go away. What would a stupid animatronic like you care, anyway?" The kid asked as he went back to sulking on the table.

Foxy blinked. That last statement kind of....hurt.

"'Ol Foxy cares because it should be a happy day, Lad. With no one ta' wish ye' a Happy Birthday or spend time with ye' must make ye' a sad lad, eh?"

The child ignored him, picking at his cake. Foxy didn't say anything, but continued to watch the kid. This must've made them annoyed, since the child stopped picking at their plate to give the animatronic an annoyed look.

"Why are you still here? Don't you have that pirate place to run?"

Foxy waved it off. "Pirate Cove won't be needin' me 'til show time. But, in the meantime, it seems that ye' be needin' some company, don't ye?"

The child didn't respond but looked to the ground again. Foxy wanted to sigh, but was unable to, since he had no air to release. This made the animatronic a bit frustrated, but unaffected on the outside.

He asked, "What be yer' name, Lad?"

The child sighed, shaking his head. He responded, "Mike. Mike Schmidt."

"Well, Mike....Where be yer' parents? Surely they'd be 'ere to wish ye' a Happy Birthday. After all, that's why they brought ye' 'ere, right?"

Mike heavily sighed. He turned so he was able to face the animatronic better. He said, "My Dad brought me here, but left as soon as we got the table. He said he had better things to do..."

Foxy blinked as he titled his head, concerned for the child. He asked, "Where be yer' mother, then?"

"She's at work. She's the one that suggested this place to make me happy, but none of my friends showed up to the party. Figures, since I'm not really liked, anyway."

"Well, I like ye', Lad! I'm sure Freddy, Chica, n' Bonnie care for ye', too!"

"You guys are just animatronics. Like you guys can replace my friends," Mike rolled his eyes.

"We wouldn't dare to replace yer' friends, we wouldn't! We'd want to be yer' new friends. Except, unlike ye' other friends, we sing and talk to ye' all you'd like! Unlike them, we'd be there at yer' parties n' keep ye' company!"

Mike blinked, staring at the animatronic. The end of his mouth twitched a bit, but he looked back to the table without a word.

He said, "My parents are going through a divorce."

Foxy leaned down so he was able to see eye-to-eye with the kid. He had this talk with plenty of other children before.

Mike continued, "Dad doesn't come home because he doesn't want to be close to Mom, nor does she to him....And they argue a lot, and it scares me, sometimes. Because my Dad is an alcoholic, so he sometimes...gets out of hand. It scares Mom, too, and she'd up yelling at him to get out, and he'd leave, bumping into some stuff and tearing some of our family photos off from the walls. I just wanted to come here because it's the only place I can be alone."

"Ye' sure bein' alone is what ye' want, lad?"

Mike looked up at the animatronic, as if considering his words. His expression didn't change as he said, "No. It's not, actually."

"Then what would be, if ye' don't mind me askin'?"

"I guess....I just come here because it was the only times my mom and dad would get along. And just being here and reminiscing about it really....makes me remember the good times. I'm afraid that, if my parents get divorced, we'll never have the same experience."

Foxy glanced up, to see Freddy far across the room eying them. He looked concerned. At least that's what Foxy's signals picked up. Foxy was hoping he wouldn't he wouldn't come over, because Freddy always managed to have the attention thrown to him. It was the only thing he disliked about the bear.

He looked back to the child, who looked confused.

"Well, lad, if bein' here makes ye' feel any better, then just know that we be glad to have ye' around to be feelin' better, despite yer' parents' struggles. I think that, deep down, your father loves ye', but alcohol really takes up a man. 'Ol Foxy would know."

Mike's eyes widened as he asked, "You think?"

"I don't think, lad. I know. Back in me swashbucklin' days, I remember drinking a lot of me rum as I sailed the seas. I didn't have me a family, but only the love of sailin' and of me boat n' crew. I once loved a lassie, but me rum got in the way of winnin' her heart. And it'll do that to yer' loved ones, too."

Mike blinked, amazed. He said, "Wow. You guys....are pretty emotional for animatronics."

"Just because ye' be made of metal doesn't mean ye' don't have any emotions."

Before Mike could say anything, Freddy had suddenly came out of nowhere and took off his top hat as he bowed to him.

"Hi there! I'm Freddy Fazbear! I couldn't happen but notice that you have been talking to my friend over here."

He motioned towards Foxy, who looked a bit ticked off. Well, as ticked off as an animatronic could look.

Freddy ignored this as he put his top hat back on as he straightened his position. He continued, "I sure hope everything's going fine today. You having a good time?"

Mike looked to the ground as he said, "You can say that..."

"Freddy," Foxy glared at the animatronic(as best as he could.) "I think ye'd best be goin' back to yer' stage to perform. Aren't ye' supposed to be singin' by now?"

"Oh, it couldn't hurt to be a little bit late. After all, Bonnie's the one that's worked up about the schedule. Not me."

Mike blinked in amazement, seeing the two interact with each other. This was just...wow.

Freddy turned back to Mike, whom had been staring. He said, "It seems like you have a Birthday today, pal! Mind if Bonnie, Chica, and I sing to you?"

"Uh....no, I'm good," Mike gulped, still looking at Freddy in amazement. Foxy shook his metal head before going to walk back to Pirate Cove. Before he could, though, he heard Mike call out:

"Wait!"

Foxy turned, to see Mike extending his arm outwards for the animatronic. He hesitated before pulling it back and looked to the ground, uncertain on what to say. He managed to gather his words as he said, "Thanks..."

Foxy paused. He responded, "No problem, lad! I wish ye' and yer' parents well!"

With that, he continued his way to Pirate Cove, not bothering to see Freddy's reaction to his last statement.

--

Mike ended up attending Foxy's show later on that day, and the robotic fox made sure to acknowledge his presence and even managed to call on him and ask a question, just like he normally did to interact with his audience. Mike had a smile placed on his face, and he didn't leave Pirate Cove for the rest of the day. Not even to acknowledge the band's presence, which was what, technically, all the other children did with each visit.

When he did leave, though, he confronted Foxy. He didn't say anything, but gave the animatronic fox a...hug. Foxy had received hugs before in the past, mind you, but, for some reason it felt...different. Foxy made sure to tell him goodbye, wish him a happy birthday, and reminded him to be happy, no matter what conflict may rise between his parents.

Foxy never usually was the one to cheer kids up. They'd normally go to Freddy, who seemed to be a natural at making them smile. Everyone presumed it was because Freddy was the main animatronic out of them all, and the one that had the most popularity. Foxy was a pirate, and some children didn't see pirates being the comforting type. They'd see them more as the 'chugging down on rum as they spit out any words they can to make out a story' type.

Luckily, Foxy was just never one of those people-Erm, animatronics. Still, their assumptions never went down.

Foxy's slight conflict with Freddy had already been spotted, and the security guard was actually taking a closer look at the monitors whenever both of them had been interacting with each other. He could hear their conversations, due to the audio, but the way they did not touch or even look at each other sometimes made it difficult to see if any struggles were developing between the two.

Of course, that'd be an example of the animatronics starting to develop emotions. Negative feelings and thoughts were apart of emotions, itself, so the security guard figured it was just an emotional stage developing, in a way. But wouldn't that lead to self-awareness, figuring that they were robot-like creatures?

He spoke to the mechanics, who, by a miracle, listened to him. It was already hard enough trying to gain their serious attention with them laughing at his thoughts of the animatronics becoming self-aware, but as soon as the word "emotions" came up, they gave him their full attention.

A small amount of mechanics denied that they were developing emotions, but a larger amount claimed that they agreed. But that was rather peachy, figuring that they didn't have anything to store any emotions or thoughts inside of them that wouldn't be on themselves. Well, minus the emotions part, which would be more of the caused made by other people that affected them.

They took another look at it, and it seemed that Foxy's development of more space to use analyzing on other people, which would process into thoughts. They figured that, by then, emotions would develop, if Foxy could manage to make a new set of space for such. But if it were all by himself, then that'd definitely prove some sophistication was seen in the robot.

As for the others? Well, they assumed that Freddy was showing some slight self-awareness, but as for Bonnie and Chica...well, they were doing and thinking what they were supposed to. It seemed that they were far behind if all this 'self awareness' was just part of their process of aging.

But how could THAT be, if Foxy was showing more self-awareness, and he was the newest of them all?

They figured it was because he didn't include such old parts and such like the other ones have, but they weren't entirely sure. No one wanted to overthink it, because it'd be a rather scary thought if the animatronics were to become sentient.

None of them could afford that.

--

"Are you sure the pizzeria's open, Freddy? It sure doesn't look like it..." Chica commented as she looked around the empty pizzeria from on stage. Freddy glanced up at her from below. He was too busy trying to arrange the tables the way he wanted to, since the employee that had rearranged it clearly did not do the job right.

How on Earth an animatronic was able to move tables without using too much force was something no one comprehended.

"I'm sure, Chica. We just have to wait awhile. Who would want to miss an opportunity to come here?" He replied as he slightly pushed a seat, resulting in a faint clicking sound.

"Keep in mind that it's Monday," Bonnie commented as he placed his guitar to the side. "Which means the children are back in school. Summer's over."

"Really?" Chica asked, turning to him. "I thought it was still April."

"It's August, Chica," Freddy replied. "At least that's what I've been told."

"From who?"

"Jim."

"Oh. The janitor, right?"

"Yeah. How could you forget him?"

"I didn't. It's just...there's been more than one Jim working here before."

Bonnie shook his head at the two. The pizzeria had opened about an hour ago, but no one showed up. Rather than an adult that was asking for directions, whom had gotten answers from one of the chefs that was available at the time. Barely any employees were seen today. The animatronics figured that they were in the kitchen or in the far end of the building.

But it had been too quiet. They'd at least be doing some work if children weren't in the building. So why wouldn't they now? The opportunity was at its finest.

"You know, coming to think of it, it has been awhile by now," Freddy commented. "I wonder if Miranda accidently flipped the sign twice so it says closed. I'll go ask her."

"But she's at home. She's sick, remember?" Bonnie commented.

Freddy blinked, turning his head with a click. He asked, "Really?"

"Yeah. But, from my view, the sign is flipped so it says 'Open'. No mistake there." Bonnie said as he stepped off from the stage carefully. He was still cautious since accidently falling off the stage awhile ago.

"The younger children should at least be here, right? They don't have school," Chica said, appearing to be concerned.

"That's what I would think. Why isn't anyone here?" Bonnie asked, turning to Freddy. Chica did as well.

He gave them a look. "Why are you guys looking at me? I don't know why, either!"

"It's because a murder had taken place nearby here," A random employee commented as they entered the room, hands stuffed in their pockets. "Parents are saying that it isn't a good area, therefore resulting in no children. I think that, once it dies down, people will return, eventually."

"Murder? When did this happen?" Chica asked, turning to the employee. The employee glanced at her, not at all fazed.

"Last night around 8 P.M. Boss wanted me to read more into it for no apparent reason."

They then reached into their vest pocket and had grabbed a pack of cigarettes, walking out of the front doors. The animatronics glanced at each other.

"Bad neighborhood? Yeah right," Bonnie rolled his eyes. "Seeing people smoke in front of this place is probably what keeps the kiddos away."

"At least they have a no smoking policy inside," said Chica.

"That doesn't make matters any better. There's been a murder, and it keeps kids away from having fun. What if one of those happen here? Will they ever come back again?" Freddy asked.

"I wouldn't suggest thinkin' that," Foxy commented as he entered the room. "Yer' only askin' for it ta' happen. And, I don't know about ye' all, but I wouldn't want such a thing happenin'."

"You're right," Freddy said as he placed a metal hand on his head. "It'd be best to not think of the worst."

"-But to rather think of the best!" Bonnie exclaimed. "Imagine the children's smiles once they come back! Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Yeah, until they leave. Then we're back where we started," Chica commented, frowning the best she could.

"Ye' shouldn't think of that, lass," Foxy commented as he tilted his head. "It be best to be rememberin' of the good times than of the bad ones, eh?"

"True," Bonnie nodded.

"Still," Chica shook her head as she fidgeted with her bib. "What are we supposed to do in the meantime? Stand around?"

"Good luck with that," Bonnie rolled his eyes. "They're probably going to make us do something. Isn't Fredrick on his shift?"

"Why would he be watching cameras if no one's here? I mean, it's not like we're going to go on a rampage." Chica rolled her eyes.

They all then turned their heads so they looked at the camera set in the corner of the room. Its light was on and was pointed towards them. They all glanced at each other.

"Well, at least Fredrick cares. That shows something," Freddy commented.

"No, it just means he doesn't trust us," Bonnie rolled his eyes. "I can't blame him, either. A lot of the parents don't like us and some of the employees don't, either."

"How do you know that?" Chica asked as she turned to him, resulting in a clicking sound.

"I know that the parents keep their children away from us just because we wander around. It's that obvious. And the employees keep talking about our states and debating whether or not to replace us....It's all I ever hear, and I'm sick of it."

"Bonnie, it'd be best to discuss something like this in a private matter, eh?" Freddy asked as he silently motioned over to the camera in the corner.

"Oh." Bonnie's eyes widened in realization. "Yeah, I suppose..."

"Too late, mate," Foxy commented. "They already be monitorin' us from Day 1, they be. An' I bet they already got that recorded, they do. Reportin' 'bout our interactin', for some reason."

"Oh, says you," Bonnie crossed his metal arms. "They've been eying you more than they've done to us lately. Either you're special or they're more cautious of you. So I'd watch my back if I were you, fox."

"The name's Foxy, not 'Fox' ye' no good-"

"Shut it," Freddy snapped. "Both of you. Stuff like this'll only get the humans to be even more suspicious."

"As if they weren't already before," Bonnie rolled his eyes.

"Come on, you two," Chica rolled her own eyes. "If there's a child outside and they see you two arguing, it might scare them off. We're supposed to be family friendly, remember?"

"Right," Freddy agreed.

"Sure, why not?" Bonnie looked to the floor as he shrugged. "Still, a situation like this needs advantage. There's no one here and what are we supposed to do? Perform to an empty audience? I think that'd give Mr. Fazbear a bit more shame than it already does."

"Shame? What shame? Isn't he happy? He DID give us new parts and decorations, and all.." Chica turned to him.

"I think Mr. Fazbear would be ashamed if he saw his pizzeria empty," Bonnie commented as he then sat on the edge of the stage, resulting in a faint clicking noise. "I know I'd be."

"But wouldn't he know of the murder? That's reasonable enough, right?" Chica asked, turning to her animatronic friends. Foxy shook his head.

"A lad like Fazbear wouldn't be thinkin' a murder would ruin anythin'. I'd bet the lad would continue to run things like normal, he would. Pretendin' nothing ever happened."

"And what makes you so sure?" Freddy asked, narrowing his eyes at the fox.

"The lad be in it for the money, he be. Isn't it obvious?" Foxy shrugged his metal arms. "I mean, Fazbear only added those there decorations because of the loot comin' in. He had enough money to do so before, but he never did, he didn't."

"Well...maybe he had other things to spend money on. Like pizza supplies," Chica pointed out hopefully. Bonnie scoffed.

"Pizza supplies? There's a million of them in the kitchen already. Like they'd need that."

"He was busy on trying to promote the pizzeria. It's more important than us," Freddy stated nonchalantly.

"Don't make me laugh," Bonnie looked up at the bear animatronic. "We're the ones the children come here for. I doubt they'd go all this way just to get a slice of pizza. They can get that anywhere."

"Yeah," Chica agreed. "They like us. Otherwise they wouldn't come at all."

"That'd be the last thing ye'd say before ye'd get put backstage, lass," Foxy commented as he stared at the playground. "'Ol Foxy heard somethin' 'bout games an' prizes bein' added. That sounds more interestin' than of watchin' an animatronic band play, doesn't it?"

"Games? Prizes? When did you hear of this?" Freddy asked, turning to him. Foxy stood silently, eying the camera in the corner. The others picked up on this as they stared at the camera.

"Oh, boy," Bonnie placed a metal hand on his forehead. "We said too much, didn't we?"

"Perhaps," Freddy nodded.

--

The security guard sat in his chair, eyes widened and jaw opened. He had been reaching to take a bite of his pizza like...what? Half an hour ago? The animatronics speaking to each other certainly took him off guard, and he had forgotten about the pizza long ago.

Fredrick cleared his throat as he placed the pizza on his plate. He'd be certain to speak with the mechanics about this.

Perhaps they had said a bit too much.

Description
That next day, the security guard had been talking with the mechanics about Foxy's statement from last night. Not only did it scare him deeply, but his mind on the animatronics becoming self aware had definitely been changed since then. He may be overthinking it, since Foxy could've just blurted out anything, since the robots tend to become more inactive later in the day, but it still scared him.

The mechanics denied that Foxy would say such a thing, and had brushed this off. The security guard tried to get them to listen, but that only resulted in them walking off, whispering something about him being a lunatic. And, as the security guard got back to post and sat in his chair, he stared at the table for more than half of his shift.

Maybe he WAS a little crazy. After all, being in a kid's pizzeria does make your whole attitude and mood change, which would result in some....sanity being left out. Maybe he just IMAGINED Foxy saying that.

Smirking, he went back to the monitors. Yeah. It was all in his imagination.

--

It had been a few months after Foxy's supposed "self-aware sentence". Many of the employees still got onto the security guard's case, and they all had joked it about since then. Even though he brushed all of their remarks at the time, he was unaware of one of the other employees actually considering if Foxy was becoming a bit self-aware. If he was, then they'd end up using another model in hopes to not have any of the animatronics thinking for themselves.

This employee had approached Foxy during work hours and had, despite her will not to look childish or silly at the time, asked Foxy if he really said what the security guard had claim. Much to her relief, the animatronic simply responded, "I don't recall statin' such a thing, lass. Maybe the lad's got some scurvy?"

Needless to say, she ended up leaving an orange on his desk later that night. Just for Foxy's sake, anyway.

Besides the light joking of the employees to the poor guard, the restaurant had actually been doing well. They managed to air a successful commercial promoting the restaurant, and had ended up getting more customers since then. The band was a hit, and Pirate Cove was getting new additions added on.

More decorations were lined and painted on the walls in Pirate Cove so it'd give you a more "pirate"-like atmosphere. Waves and boats with islands were painted on the walls, and, heck, even the artist agreed to paint Foxy sailing one of the ships! Foxy's stage had decorations on the back wall so it'd look like Foxy was standing on an island as he did his shows with his audiences. He even had a few more parts added onto him so he was able to sit down, which was added so he could sit on a wooden box as he'd talk about some of his past "adventures" to the children.

The band got plenty of more decorations, too. New speakers were added so the music would have more quality, sound-wise, and the stage had gotten some extra decorations in the back. New tables were added for more guests that weren't attending any parties, and the playground had even gotten more additions.

Needless to say, everything was going so well. Besides the pricing being a bit higher than usual(which you can thank the boss for), everyone still enjoyed their stay and some were recommending for parties to be attended there. This still didn't raise the suspicions of the animatronics walking around for the parents, though.

It didn't matter, so long as the money was still coming in. At least that's what the owner had claimed at the time. Even though the employees were doing it for the money as well, seeing the children so happy was a boost for everyone. Even the animatronics, whom were starting to observe their surroundings more.

It was another typical day at the pizzeria. A lot more activities were going on, since of the new decorations and additions to the playground, which would give the children more to observe and explore. Their eyes lit up at everything in their sight, and it was surely one of the best days of their lives. You could tell.

The animatronics were walking around, like usual. There were about 3 parties going on that day, so it was quite busy. Balloons, cakes, and kids with party hats were spotted everywhere. The Birthday boy/girl would be a wearing a crown, with the females receiving a birthday wand as the males received a toy truck. Typical.

Foxy was walking around, observing some of the new decorations himself. Many would think that the bot was in sleep mode or something, due to how long he had been standing and staring at the art on the walls. But then he'd move, which would dismiss their concerns.

Foxy walked over to the stage, observing some of the decorations added to the lower part of it. What caught his sight, instead, was a child sitting at a bench in the corner, resting his elbow on the table as he looked at the ground. He looked...sad, to say at the least.

Foxy, by natural instinct, then walked over to the child. As soon as he reached them, he then paused, which was rare among the animatronics. They usually knew what to say to children, but Foxy showing hesitation revealed that his signals were a bit slower.

It didn't matter, anyway, because the child glanced over at him, and ended up jumping. He nearly slipped off the table, but caught himself as his eyes widened, looking at the animatronic.

Foxy asked, "How are ye' doin', Lad?"

The child blinked, not giving him a response. He looked surprised, which was a response itself, really.

Foxy ignored this as he observed the kid. After seeing his attire, the animatronic commented, "I see yer' carryin' a toy truck, lad. Just guessin' 'ere, but is it yer' special day t'day?"

The child looked at the toy truck that was visible in his jacket pocket. He looked to the floor as he said, "Yeah. It is."

Foxy looked up from the kid and to the rest of the table. Everything was empty, despite some party hats laying on them, awaiting for the other guests to put on. Some balloons were put, too, but the only thing in sight on the table that was used was the kid's plate, which had some unfinished cake lying on it.

Foxy looked back at the kid as he asked, "Where are yer' friends?"

The kid gave him a look. "What friends?"

Oh, boy.

"'Ye don't have any friends? That'd be the most surprisin' thing ol' Foxy has heard all day, it is."

"Just go away. What would a stupid animatronic like you care, anyway?" The kid asked as he went back to sulking on the table.

Foxy blinked. That last statement kind of....hurt.

"'Ol Foxy cares because it should be a happy day, Lad. With no one ta' wish ye' a Happy Birthday or spend time with ye' must make ye' a sad lad, eh?"

The child ignored him, picking at his cake. Foxy didn't say anything, but continued to watch the kid. This must've made them annoyed, since the child stopped picking at their plate to give the animatronic an annoyed look.

"Why are you still here? Don't you have that pirate place to run?"

Foxy waved it off. "Pirate Cove won't be needin' me 'til show time. But, in the meantime, it seems that ye' be needin' some company, don't ye?"

The child didn't respond but looked to the ground again. Foxy wanted to sigh, but was unable to, since he had no air to release. This made the animatronic a bit frustrated, but unaffected on the outside.

He asked, "What be yer' name, Lad?"

The child sighed, shaking his head. He responded, "Mike. Mike Schmidt."

"Well, Mike....Where be yer' parents? Surely they'd be 'ere to wish ye' a Happy Birthday. After all, that's why they brought ye' 'ere, right?"

Mike heavily sighed. He turned so he was able to face the animatronic better. He said, "My Dad brought me here, but left as soon as we got the table. He said he had better things to do..."

Foxy blinked as he titled his head, concerned for the child. He asked, "Where be yer' mother, then?"

"She's at work. She's the one that suggested this place to make me happy, but none of my friends showed up to the party. Figures, since I'm not really liked, anyway."

"Well, I like ye', Lad! I'm sure Freddy, Chica, n' Bonnie care for ye', too!"

"You guys are just animatronics. Like you guys can replace my friends," Mike rolled his eyes.

"We wouldn't dare to replace yer' friends, we wouldn't! We'd want to be yer' new friends. Except, unlike ye' other friends, we sing and talk to ye' all you'd like! Unlike them, we'd be there at yer' parties n' keep ye' company!"

Mike blinked, staring at the animatronic. The end of his mouth twitched a bit, but he looked back to the table without a word.

He said, "My parents are going through a divorce."

Foxy leaned down so he was able to see eye-to-eye with the kid. He had this talk with plenty of other children before.

Mike continued, "Dad doesn't come home because he doesn't want to be close to Mom, nor does she to him....And they argue a lot, and it scares me, sometimes. Because my Dad is an alcoholic, so he sometimes...gets out of hand. It scares Mom, too, and she'd up yelling at him to get out, and he'd leave, bumping into some stuff and tearing some of our family photos off from the walls. I just wanted to come here because it's the only place I can be alone."

"Ye' sure bein' alone is what ye' want, lad?"

Mike looked up at the animatronic, as if considering his words. His expression didn't change as he said, "No. It's not, actually."

"Then what would be, if ye' don't mind me askin'?"

"I guess....I just come here because it was the only times my mom and dad would get along. And just being here and reminiscing about it really....makes me remember the good times. I'm afraid that, if my parents get divorced, we'll never have the same experience."

Foxy glanced up, to see Freddy far across the room eying them. He looked concerned. At least that's what Foxy's signals picked up. Foxy was hoping he wouldn't he wouldn't come over, because Freddy always managed to have the attention thrown to him. It was the only thing he disliked about the bear.

He looked back to the child, who looked confused.

"Well, lad, if bein' here makes ye' feel any better, then just know that we be glad to have ye' around to be feelin' better, despite yer' parents' struggles. I think that, deep down, your father loves ye', but alcohol really takes up a man. 'Ol Foxy would know."

Mike's eyes widened as he asked, "You think?"

"I don't think, lad. I know. Back in me swashbucklin' days, I remember drinking a lot of me rum as I sailed the seas. I didn't have me a family, but only the love of sailin' and of me boat n' crew. I once loved a lassie, but me rum got in the way of winnin' her heart. And it'll do that to yer' loved ones, too."

Mike blinked, amazed. He said, "Wow. You guys....are pretty emotional for animatronics."

"Just because ye' be made of metal doesn't mean ye' don't have any emotions."

Before Mike could say anything, Freddy had suddenly came out of nowhere and took off his top hat as he bowed to him.

"Hi there! I'm Freddy Fazbear! I couldn't happen but notice that you have been talking to my friend over here."

He motioned towards Foxy, who looked a bit ticked off. Well, as ticked off as an animatronic could look.

Freddy ignored this as he put his top hat back on as he straightened his position. He continued, "I sure hope everything's going fine today. You having a good time?"

Mike looked to the ground as he said, "You can say that..."

"Freddy," Foxy glared at the animatronic(as best as he could.) "I think ye'd best be goin' back to yer' stage to perform. Aren't ye' supposed to be singin' by now?"

"Oh, it couldn't hurt to be a little bit late. After all, Bonnie's the one that's worked up about the schedule. Not me."

Mike blinked in amazement, seeing the two interact with each other. This was just...wow.

Freddy turned back to Mike, whom had been staring. He said, "It seems like you have a Birthday today, pal! Mind if Bonnie, Chica, and I sing to you?"

"Uh....no, I'm good," Mike gulped, still looking at Freddy in amazement. Foxy shook his metal head before going to walk back to Pirate Cove. Before he could, though, he heard Mike call out:

"Wait!"

Foxy turned, to see Mike extending his arm outwards for the animatronic. He hesitated before pulling it back and looked to the ground, uncertain on what to say. He managed to gather his words as he said, "Thanks..."

Foxy paused. He responded, "No problem, lad! I wish ye' and yer' parents well!"

With that, he continued his way to Pirate Cove, not bothering to see Freddy's reaction to his last statement.

--

Mike ended up attending Foxy's show later on that day, and the robotic fox made sure to acknowledge his presence and even managed to call on him and ask a question, just like he normally did to interact with his audience. Mike had a smile placed on his face, and he didn't leave Pirate Cove for the rest of the day. Not even to acknowledge the band's presence, which was what, technically, all the other children did with each visit.

When he did leave, though, he confronted Foxy. He didn't say anything, but gave the animatronic fox a...hug. Foxy had received hugs before in the past, mind you, but, for some reason it felt...different. Foxy made sure to tell him goodbye, wish him a happy birthday, and reminded him to be happy, no matter what conflict may rise between his parents.

Foxy never usually was the one to cheer kids up. They'd normally go to Freddy, who seemed to be a natural at making them smile. Everyone presumed it was because Freddy was the main animatronic out of them all, and the one that had the most popularity. Foxy was a pirate, and some children didn't see pirates being the comforting type. They'd see them more as the 'chugging down on rum as they spit out any words they can to make out a story' type.

Luckily, Foxy was just never one of those people-Erm, animatronics. Still, their assumptions never went down.

Foxy's slight conflict with Freddy had already been spotted, and the security guard was actually taking a closer look at the monitors whenever both of them had been interacting with each other. He could hear their conversations, due to the audio, but the way they did not touch or even look at each other sometimes made it difficult to see if any struggles were developing between the two.

Of course, that'd be an example of the animatronics starting to develop emotions. Negative feelings and thoughts were apart of emotions, itself, so the security guard figured it was just an emotional stage developing, in a way. But wouldn't that lead to self-awareness, figuring that they were robot-like creatures?

He spoke to the mechanics, who, by a miracle, listened to him. It was already hard enough trying to gain their serious attention with them laughing at his thoughts of the animatronics becoming self-aware, but as soon as the word "emotions" came up, they gave him their full attention.

A small amount of mechanics denied that they were developing emotions, but a larger amount claimed that they agreed. But that was rather peachy, figuring that they didn't have anything to store any emotions or thoughts inside of them that wouldn't be on themselves. Well, minus the emotions part, which would be more of the caused made by other people that affected them.

They took another look at it, and it seemed that Foxy's development of more space to use analyzing on other people, which would process into thoughts. They figured that, by then, emotions would develop, if Foxy could manage to make a new set of space for such. But if it were all by himself, then that'd definitely prove some sophistication was seen in the robot.

As for the others? Well, they assumed that Freddy was showing some slight self-awareness, but as for Bonnie and Chica...well, they were doing and thinking what they were supposed to. It seemed that they were far behind if all this 'self awareness' was just part of their process of aging.

But how could THAT be, if Foxy was showing more self-awareness, and he was the newest of them all?

They figured it was because he didn't include such old parts and such like the other ones have, but they weren't entirely sure. No one wanted to overthink it, because it'd be a rather scary thought if the animatronics were to become sentient.

None of them could afford that.

--

"Are you sure the pizzeria's open, Freddy? It sure doesn't look like it..." Chica commented as she looked around the empty pizzeria from on stage. Freddy glanced up at her from below. He was too busy trying to arrange the tables the way he wanted to, since the employee that had rearranged it clearly did not do the job right.

How on Earth an animatronic was able to move tables without using too much force was something no one comprehended.

"I'm sure, Chica. We just have to wait awhile. Who would want to miss an opportunity to come here?" He replied as he slightly pushed a seat, resulting in a faint clicking sound.

"Keep in mind that it's Monday," Bonnie commented as he placed his guitar to the side. "Which means the children are back in school. Summer's over."

"Really?" Chica asked, turning to him. "I thought it was still April."

"It's August, Chica," Freddy replied. "At least that's what I've been told."

"From who?"

"Jim."

"Oh. The janitor, right?"

"Yeah. How could you forget him?"

"I didn't. It's just...there's been more than one Jim working here before."

Bonnie shook his head at the two. The pizzeria had opened about an hour ago, but no one showed up. Rather than an adult that was asking for directions, whom had gotten answers from one of the chefs that was available at the time. Barely any employees were seen today. The animatronics figured that they were in the kitchen or in the far end of the building.

But it had been too quiet. They'd at least be doing some work if children weren't in the building. So why wouldn't they now? The opportunity was at its finest.

"You know, coming to think of it, it has been awhile by now," Freddy commented. "I wonder if Miranda accidently flipped the sign twice so it says closed. I'll go ask her."

"But she's at home. She's sick, remember?" Bonnie commented.

Freddy blinked, turning his head with a click. He asked, "Really?"

"Yeah. But, from my view, the sign is flipped so it says 'Open'. No mistake there." Bonnie said as he stepped off from the stage carefully. He was still cautious since accidently falling off the stage awhile ago.

"The younger children should at least be here, right? They don't have school," Chica said, appearing to be concerned.

"That's what I would think. Why isn't anyone here?" Bonnie asked, turning to Freddy. Chica did as well.

He gave them a look. "Why are you guys looking at me? I don't know why, either!"

"It's because a murder had taken place nearby here," A random employee commented as they entered the room, hands stuffed in their pockets. "Parents are saying that it isn't a good area, therefore resulting in no children. I think that, once it dies down, people will return, eventually."

"Murder? When did this happen?" Chica asked, turning to the employee. The employee glanced at her, not at all fazed.

"Last night around 8 P.M. Boss wanted me to read more into it for no apparent reason."

They then reached into their vest pocket and had grabbed a pack of cigarettes, walking out of the front doors. The animatronics glanced at each other.

"Bad neighborhood? Yeah right," Bonnie rolled his eyes. "Seeing people smoke in front of this place is probably what keeps the kiddos away."

"At least they have a no smoking policy inside," said Chica.

"That doesn't make matters any better. There's been a murder, and it keeps kids away from having fun. What if one of those happen here? Will they ever come back again?" Freddy asked.

"I wouldn't suggest thinkin' that," Foxy commented as he entered the room. "Yer' only askin' for it ta' happen. And, I don't know about ye' all, but I wouldn't want such a thing happenin'."

"You're right," Freddy said as he placed a metal hand on his head. "It'd be best to not think of the worst."

"-But to rather think of the best!" Bonnie exclaimed. "Imagine the children's smiles once they come back! Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Yeah, until they leave. Then we're back where we started," Chica commented, frowning the best she could.

"Ye' shouldn't think of that, lass," Foxy commented as he tilted his head. "It be best to be rememberin' of the good times than of the bad ones, eh?"

"True," Bonnie nodded.

"Still," Chica shook her head as she fidgeted with her bib. "What are we supposed to do in the meantime? Stand around?"

"Good luck with that," Bonnie rolled his eyes. "They're probably going to make us do something. Isn't Fredrick on his shift?"

"Why would he be watching cameras if no one's here? I mean, it's not like we're going to go on a rampage." Chica rolled her eyes.

They all then turned their heads so they looked at the camera set in the corner of the room. Its light was on and was pointed towards them. They all glanced at each other.

"Well, at least Fredrick cares. That shows something," Freddy commented.

"No, it just means he doesn't trust us," Bonnie rolled his eyes. "I can't blame him, either. A lot of the parents don't like us and some of the employees don't, either."

"How do you know that?" Chica asked as she turned to him, resulting in a clicking sound.

"I know that the parents keep their children away from us just because we wander around. It's that obvious. And the employees keep talking about our states and debating whether or not to replace us....It's all I ever hear, and I'm sick of it."

"Bonnie, it'd be best to discuss something like this in a private matter, eh?" Freddy asked as he silently motioned over to the camera in the corner.

"Oh." Bonnie's eyes widened in realization. "Yeah, I suppose..."

"Too late, mate," Foxy commented. "They already be monitorin' us from Day 1, they be. An' I bet they already got that recorded, they do. Reportin' 'bout our interactin', for some reason."

"Oh, says you," Bonnie crossed his metal arms. "They've been eying you more than they've done to us lately. Either you're special or they're more cautious of you. So I'd watch my back if I were you, fox."

"The name's Foxy, not 'Fox' ye' no good-"

"Shut it," Freddy snapped. "Both of you. Stuff like this'll only get the humans to be even more suspicious."

"As if they weren't already before," Bonnie rolled his eyes.

"Come on, you two," Chica rolled her own eyes. "If there's a child outside and they see you two arguing, it might scare them off. We're supposed to be family friendly, remember?"

"Right," Freddy agreed.

"Sure, why not?" Bonnie looked to the floor as he shrugged. "Still, a situation like this needs advantage. There's no one here and what are we supposed to do? Perform to an empty audience? I think that'd give Mr. Fazbear a bit more shame than it already does."

"Shame? What shame? Isn't he happy? He DID give us new parts and decorations, and all.." Chica turned to him.

"I think Mr. Fazbear would be ashamed if he saw his pizzeria empty," Bonnie commented as he then sat on the edge of the stage, resulting in a faint clicking noise. "I know I'd be."

"But wouldn't he know of the murder? That's reasonable enough, right?" Chica asked, turning to her animatronic friends. Foxy shook his head.

"A lad like Fazbear wouldn't be thinkin' a murder would ruin anythin'. I'd bet the lad would continue to run things like normal, he would. Pretendin' nothing ever happened."

"And what makes you so sure?" Freddy asked, narrowing his eyes at the fox.

"The lad be in it for the money, he be. Isn't it obvious?" Foxy shrugged his metal arms. "I mean, Fazbear only added those there decorations because of the loot comin' in. He had enough money to do so before, but he never did, he didn't."

"Well...maybe he had other things to spend money on. Like pizza supplies," Chica pointed out hopefully. Bonnie scoffed.

"Pizza supplies? There's a million of them in the kitchen already. Like they'd need that."

"He was busy on trying to promote the pizzeria. It's more important than us," Freddy stated nonchalantly.

"Don't make me laugh," Bonnie looked up at the bear animatronic. "We're the ones the children come here for. I doubt they'd go all this way just to get a slice of pizza. They can get that anywhere."

"Yeah," Chica agreed. "They like us. Otherwise they wouldn't come at all."

"That'd be the last thing ye'd say before ye'd get put backstage, lass," Foxy commented as he stared at the playground. "'Ol Foxy heard somethin' 'bout games an' prizes bein' added. That sounds more interestin' than of watchin' an animatronic band play, doesn't it?"

"Games? Prizes? When did you hear of this?" Freddy asked, turning to him. Foxy stood silently, eying the camera in the corner. The others picked up on this as they stared at the camera.

"Oh, boy," Bonnie placed a metal hand on his forehead. "We said too much, didn't we?"

"Perhaps," Freddy nodded.

--

The security guard sat in his chair, eyes widened and jaw opened. He had been reaching to take a bite of his pizza like...what? Half an hour ago? The animatronics speaking to each other certainly took him off guard, and he had forgotten about the pizza long ago.

Fredrick cleared his throat as he placed the pizza on his plate. He'd be certain to speak with the mechanics about this.

Perhaps they had said a bit too much.