Tale of a Tainted Mandolin

by Spirit Guide

Another Night, Another Song

"You're... a musician?"

Mando raised his head from his crouched position. Bonnie was looking at him with a surprised, almost amazed expression, which should most certainly have been impossible for the animatronic. The voice that issued from Bonnie wasn't the recorded lines she would recite during opening hours, but rather a tinny mare's voice as if spoken through old phoning equipment.

The question was so unexpected Mando momentarily forgot he was asked it. "Um... Yes?"

Bonnie's face split into a bright grin. "No, really? Awesome!"

The animatronic stood up, walked to the heavy Service door and pushed it open. "Hey gang!" she shouted into the Main Hall, her metallic voice bouncing off the walls. "That new security guard? He can play!"

The sound of heavy footsteps boomed from outside the Parts and Service Room. Mando was beginning to regret his answer when Bonnie turned around and offered him a hand. "Come on, new guy," she said excitedly. "The others'll want to meet you properly."

Mando cautiously stuck out a hoof and Bonnie promptly grabbed it, pulling the earth pony up and dragging him out the door into the Main Hall. She walked him down and into the Show Stage room, where several of the animatronics were standing about, tending to their business in an almost normal manner. Chica was tidying up the party hats and wrapped gift boxes in the Game Area, muttering to herself. Freddy was sitting on the edge of the stage, tapping his microphone against his robotic knee. Mangle was situated on the merry-go-round roof, spinning the whole thing from her perch.

When Mando and Bonnie entered the room, all mechanical eyes were on the stallion. "Everyone, this is our new night guard," Bonnie announced to them all.

Mando slowly raised a hoof and waved. "Uh... hi."

The animatronics stared at Mando, which was unsettling with their mostly blank expressions. They looked him over, noticing his mandolin laying across his back. The instrument seemed to intrigue them.

Chica leapt towards Mando with surprising speed and bent over him, hands on her knees. "Do you really play, new guy?" she asked, her mechanical voice young and energetic.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I do," Mando replied, a bit put off by Chica's nearness.

The animatronic's beak opened into a mechanical smile. "Sweet! This calls for a celebration!" Chica stood up and dashed out of the room. Soon, the clanging of metal pans could be heard down the hall.

"Wh-where'd she go?" Mando asked, directing his question at Bonnie.

"The kitchen. She's making pizza."

"Who for?"

"You, of course."

Mando glanced down the hall. He imagined the large yellow animatronic adding cheese and sauce to a pizza base alongside a dish-washing pony, somewhat enjoying the sight. Then he noticed Freddy getting up from the stage and walking towards him.

"So, you're our new security guard."

The animatronic bear's voice was much like Bonnie's, except male. His tone made Mando feel a bit disappointed: Freddy sounded like a bored stallion. All the same, he decided not to disappoint the pizzeria mascot, however strange it was.

"Yep, that's me. Freddy Fazbear night guard."

Freddy lowered himself onto one knee, looking Mando in the eye with his robotic sensors. "And what's your name, night guard?"

"MandoPony."

"MandoPony?" came a super-staticy voice from above. With a sound like clanking rods, Mangle slipped her head down from the ceiling and looked at Mando upside-down, her face a surprised white vixen mask. "The MandoPony? Horse famous musician of Equestria?"

"Yes," Mando replied confidently, finding that he was getting used to having his personal space invaded.

"Hoo, wow!" Mangle reeled herself back up and spun her head 360 degrees. "Wow wow wow. I almost can't believe it. MandoPony working at Freddy Fazbear's!"

The spidery animatronic proceeded to skitter back and forth across the ceiling in some sort of mechanical dance. Bonnie bent down beside Mando, her eyes wide. "I never would've guessed. I mean, I thought about it a bit on your first night, when you were playing that song."

"So you were listening to me play last night," Mando exclaimed, remembering how Bonnie seemed drawn to his music. She was an appreciator as well as a musician.

"Mhm. It was a big treat to hear the night guard playing music. A real pleasure." Bonnie sighed.

"It's certainly a change of style from our usual night guards," Freddy remarked with a little more interest in his voice than before. "Which brings me to my next question, Mr. MandoPony."

"Please, just call me Mando."

Freddy regarded him for a moment, then continued. "What got you interested in the night guard position here anyway?"

"Well, I'd heard about the pizzeria's reputation—"

"True, we had the best," Mangle interrupted.

"—and I wanted to find out about all these crazy rumors."

"Rumors?" Bonnie repeated. "What rumors?"

"The case of the missing foals." Chica walked back into the room, balancing a piping hot pizza in one hand and a rolled up a newspaper in the other. "I found this in the kitchen," she continued, handing the newspaper to Freddy and pointing at one article. She lowered the pizza onto the stage. "Come on, new guy. I got your pizza."

Mando walked over to the stage and examined the pizza the animatronic had.... had she made it herself? It was almost identical to the one Cheese Pie had given him at the end of his first shift, if not better. She had even sliced it. Mando sat down on the stage and slipped a piece out of the pizza. "Gee. Thanks, Chica."

"You're quite welcome."

Freddy's eyes literally scanned the indicated article. "'No less than five foals have gone missing around famous Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Employees suspected. Restaurant to close down.'" The animatronic ursa clenched his big fists. "This is outrageous! We may lose the pizzeria because of this. Who's the monster who did this?"

"Kidnap little ponies?" Bonnie exclaimed with disgust. "Must be a regular beast."

"An absolute animal," Mangle buzzed in agreement.

"A heartless creature," Chica concurred.

Mando looked back and forth between Freddy and the others, munching on his pizza abstractedly. Hearing them talk like that, he thought about how alive they seemed, how they acted like ordinary ponies. He could understand their quick judgement on the matter too: the fate of their restaurant was on the line. But he didn't have the whole picture and was still confused, mostly by the animtronics' sentience. Even in a world of magic, it was illogical.

"The missing foals are part of the reason I'm here," Mando spoke up. Immediately, all the animatronics gave him their undivided attention, but Mando didn't shy away. "To fill in the empty space of the night shift caused by the mystery, to help rebuild the pizzeria's reputation and solve the case."

Mangle lowered herself down to the floor and curled up like a snake. "We'd certainly appreciate that," she said. "This news of losing the pizzeria's kinda spooking me out."

"Never fear, Mangle," Bonnie said, gently clapping the back of her head. "Mando here will come through. I know he will."

Mando chuckled. "Heh. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Bonnie."

"Anything for my favorite musician." The blue animatronic sat down beside Mando, reached behind him and picked up her bright red guitar. She set the guitar over her knee, just like a real guitarist would. "I was wondering, though: could we maybe play a song together."

"What, you and me?" Mando inquired.

"Yeah. Mandolin and guitar. I.... I want to know what it sounds like."

Mando was silent as he handled his mandolin. He plucked the strings and did a spot of tuning, then began to play. The tune was nothing special, just a series of rapid strums. Bonnie watched Mando's moves intently, his ears turning up and down as though he were listening with them, like a real bunny.

Then Bonnie joined in, gently plucking the guitar strings individually in time with Mando's strumming. The sounds combined in perfect harmony as they echoed through the pizzeria as one complete melody. Freddy's eyes went wide. Chica put a wing against her yellow chest. Even Mangle's constant static stopped as she comprehended the music.

Mando was awed. These animatronics were amazing him more and more every minute. Bonnie showed a great musical ear, the likes of which took most musicians great lengths of time to develop. Her mechanical hands handled the guitar perfectly, not even slipping on the strings. And the sound. Oh, the sound. There was nothing MandoPony loved more than instruments being played in beautiful musical harmony.

They played the melody over and over for what seemed like half an hour. Occasionally, Mando stopped and took a bite of pizza while Bonnie played a solo. But, overall, Mando and Bonnie seemed to lose themselves in their music, rocking side to side with the rhythm. The horse-famous musician looked up at the animatronic and the two shared a smile.

All at once, Bonnie strummed all her strings loud and clear. Mando and the other animatronics all jumped, becoming alert. Freddy in particular was watching Bonnie cautiously, as though the blue bunny were a time bomb about to go off and he was trying to figure out the best way to disarm it. Mando, now fearful but curious, watched the blue animatronic strum her guitar and begin to sing.

Let’s try to make it right
Don’t want to start a fight
And we’re so sorry if we give you all a little fright
We’re not so scary if you see us in the daylight
You’ll be so happy just as long as you survive the night

Bonnie was singing the chorus of Mando's latest song, playing her guitar to supply the tune. Mando was very much surprised and impressed by the animatronic. He could almost see her as a backup vocalist. Oh well. No sense in letting her lead the song alone. Mando strummed alongside Bonnie's guitar and repeated the chorus.

Let’s try to make it right
Don’t want to start a fight
And we’re so sorry if we give you all a little fright
We’re not so scary if you see us in the daylight
You’ll be so happy just as long as you survive the night

Mangle and Chica's jaws fell open, revealing their endoskeleton teeth. Freddy's eyebrows flew up, making him look unnaturally surprised. But Mando and Bonnie were submerged now, strumming away at their frets in unison. Bonnie's face bore determination as she sung the first verse.

Hey there, how ya doin’, nice to meet ya, are ya new in town
Don’t think I’ve seen you befo-ore, it’s great to see new faces around
And if you’d like it, I can give a tour
Of our enchanting wonderland, new and improved without the doors

For the first time in his musical career, Mando didn't have to think of the lyrics. They spilled out of his mouth like water from a spring, and Bonnie was quick to improvise along with him.

There's no escape, but then, who would want to leave?
It's a fantastical paradise, and it's not make-believe
I'm so glad to have another member of the band
You're one of us now, so let me take you by the hand

They gave their strings one final strum. The powerful chords seemed to reverberate throughout the room far more than the rest of the melody. Bonnie and Mando bent low over their instruments, slowly raising their eyes to meet the surprised gaping gazes of the other animatronics. Even Freddy was speechless.

Bonnie's eyes turned and looked sideways at the earth pony. She gave a coy smile "I'm out of ideas."

"Ummm...." Mando exclaimed blandly.

"Woohoo!

A wild foalish cheer scared the pizza toppings out of Mando. A small figure popped out from behind Bonnie: Balloon Boy, leaning against his sign like a walking stick. "WOW, you guys are awesome! Oh, that music, it was music to my ears!"

"Uh, BB," Chica interrupted. "You don't have ears."

Balloon Boy looked up blankly at the animatronic fowl. His face broke into a silly grin. "None of us do, Chica! That isn't stopping Bonnie here from playing music, is it?"

"No," Bonnie said, looking at MandoPony. "It certainly isn't."

Mando put a hoof on the bunny's knee. "That was amazing, Bonnie. You're a natural at this."

Bonnie smiled. "Thanks. It makes sense that I like music, both listening to and playing it. That's what I was programmed to do here at the pizzeria."

"I was told you got some addition to your programming," Mando continued before remembering Phone Colt's warning about it, especially the stuffing-into-a-suit part. "Some kind of facial recognition program to help the restaurant."

"Ohhh," the animatronics all exclaimed as one.

"Yeah!" Balloon Boy piped up, siting down on the edge of the stage. "We got that little bit in our heads so we can help the security guard watch the place. Or... something like that."

"I dunno," Mangle muttered, bundled up on the floor beside Chica. "They added the program after the foalnapping as a precaution, hoping to avoid anymore bad publicity and incidents like that. Not sure why they thought we could help with it."

"We're strong," Bonnie replied thoughtfully. "Probably stronger than almost any pony in Equestria. I bet, if it came down to it, we could take on any ponynapper what steps hoof through those doors!"

Mando couldn't help but think of a spunky filly when he heard Bonnie talk. She sounded so much like a tomcolt right then. His questions were now mostly answered, but there was still one thing that bothered Mando: how the animatronics acted so.... alive. "What are your original programs exactly?"

"A security guard should know," Freddy commented. "We're all for entertainment purposes: Chica, Bonnie and I are performers; BB hands out balloons; and Mangle's for the fillies and colts to try building their own animatronic." His eyes sparked, as though from amusement. "As if a little pony foal could make something like that."

"Yeah. Something like that..."

"Freddy pretty much said it all, Mando," Bonnie asserted, long multi-jointed fingers still resting on her guitar. "We're all programmed for entertainment here. We're the representatives of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. We're essential to the place. That's why..." Her ears drooped. "That's why we can't afford to let the place close down."

"We'd be out of a job," Chica exclaimed, her beak barely moving as she spoke. "Best case scenario, we'd be taken in by some other company, maybe modified. Worst case...." The yellow animatronic didn't finish.

"We'd be scrapped." Freddy's mouth hung open, yet the words came out as deep, grim and tinny as ever. "Dumped, thrown out, forgotten. Freddy Fazbear and friends would be no more."

Mando screwed his eyes closed and shook his head. "No. No, I won't let this happen!" He turned to Bonnie, his face a mask of stubborn determination. "I'll do everything I can to prove the innocence of the pizzeria. I'll find the missing foals and save you."

Bonnie seemed frozen, just staring at the floor. Then her green eyes tilted toward Mando. "We'd appreciate that... so... much." She spoke slowly, as if something were hindering her. "We only.... wish that...."

All at once, a deadly silence filled the room. Mando didn't notice it at first, but then it dawned on him just how quiet it was. Then he realized that none of the animatronics were moving and not a sound came from them. Even Mangle's static had disappeared. Chica, Freddy and Balloon Boy all stood about, frozen in place. Mangle lay in a heap, her head bent to one side. Bonnie was sitting beside Mando on the stage, her eyes unmoving as they held that last gaze with the earth pony.

"Bonnie? Bonnie!" Mando waved his hoof in front of her, but the mechanical lagomorph didn't respond.

"No. No, no, no no no." He went all around the room, trying numerous methods of making the animatronics move: prodding, talking, singing, hitting. At one point, Mando even considered opening them up to see if it was something in their circuitry that went wrong, but he rejected this idea quickly. He had no talent for such things.

Finally, exhausted from his attempts, Mando slumped against the stage. The last slice of his pizza looked like it had been sitting there for years, not recently served by an animatronic chicken who had just stopped moving. Mando felt trapped in a situation he couldn't escape. All he had with him now were questions.

What happened to them?.....

What will Marcolt and the others say?...

Have I doomed Freddy Fazbear's already?....

What happened to those poor foals?.......

Skrrrrtch

Mando's blood chilled when he heard the sound. It was the very one that, just earlier, had announced the approach of what was likely the most dangerous machine in the pizzeria, other than the oven. The musician peered down the hall, squinting into the darkness, and saw the heavy door of the Parts and Service room ajar. A curved piece of metal jutted out from behind it.

Foxy. Mando tried to control himself, barely managing to stop shaking. Foxy had given him such a scare earlier that just the thought of the animatronic fox got him shaking in his horseshoes. Great. The last thing I need is Captain TearApart to come charging in here when the others are all frozen.

The hook behind the door made a beckoning gesture before receding into the room. Mando's eyes bugged. Is he serious?! Is he asking me to go there, into the Parts and Service room with him?

MandoPony was just about to make a Pinkie Promise NOT to do that when he heard a tinkling tune. He turned his head toward the Prize Corner, where the melody was coming from. The large crank on the side of the wrapped gift box was turning in time with the music. Mando's heartbeat increased and seemed to be in time with the clicking part of the music box tune.

That sound... From last night.... Mando stared at the gift box. Suddenly, the lid creaked open. Within the dark interior of the gift box, two white pinpoints gazed hauntingly at the earth pony.

Mando paled. In a flash, he scooped up his mandolin and zoomed into the Main Hall. When he got to the Parts and Service door, he looked back at the Prize Corner. The lid of the gift box had completely opened, and a tall thin figure stood in its shadow, the music in the background fitting eerily.

Anything is better than that puppet, Mando decided, sweat sliding down his face. He turned back to the metal door and gingerly swung it open. Inside, he could see Foxy, standing with his back to him, but there was no doubt in Mando's mind that the animatronic knew he was there. He shot one last look into the room at the end of the Hall, where the puppet seemed to be climbing out of the box. Mando quickly slipped into the Parts and Service room and closed the door.

"Arr, matey. Ye made the right decision."

Author's Note:

There. After weeks of work and one final push of effort, it's done.
Hope you all enjoy it. See you next chapter.

Comments

[The Slending Angel]

OH MY GOD I MUST HAVE MORE!!!

[The A I]

and now, he is safe from the puppet, but in more danger from the withered animatronics.
more please!

[JavaScript]

The Dead know what the Puppet had done to keep them alive by some set of moral rules, but the Toys do not.

If it were canon, the machines are simply manipulated to help keep the 'peace and quiet' at night while the Puppet gives no shits as to who dies for everything to be set straight and kept quiet by its own standards.

[Spirit Guide]

6634585 I'll bring to your attention that I've strayed somewhat from the canon. There are reasons behind each of the animatronics' actions, which will get answered by the end.

[ibeachu]

Oh. Oh! OH. OH! OHHHHH!!!!

IT UPDATED.

Finally!!!

[ibeachu]

All-in-all, pretty good chapter, a bit awkward cliffhanger, at least for me, but it was really entertaining.
Good work.

[Agent]

Dam you cliff hangers!!! You gust had to make a dam cliff hanger!!! All right I'm going to sh-......

[CookieDo]

Oh gawd... the cliffhanger... you do know you need to write more right?

[Spirit Guide]

6644124 Yes yes, the cliffhangers. Of course I'm going to write more.
I'm doing my best to spread out the writing time between all my stories(not so) equally.

[CookieDo]

6644509 Ok. Still, the cliffhanger.

[first hand account]

I.. I can't believe it updated! Wooh

[Spirit Guide]

6655699 Oy. No need for that

[first hand account]

6655829 hey dude...ya gonna update?

[Spirit Guide]

6787792 Yes, I am going to update, and hopefully soon.
I have not forgotten about the story.