Trigger warning: Blood and ghouls. I think. I'm not sure how to go about warnings without spoiling the story. The horror happens after the break.
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Music filled the air, the sound of instrumentals coming from the stage speakers. Two yellow animatronics were stationed on the stage, performing for an audience that stared in awe.
Spring Bonnie couldn't deny the joy that he felt, sitting on the edge of the stage. He strummed happily at his guitar, tilting his head side to side in rhythm to the music.
There was a crowd of little humans, children that were encapsulated by their performance. He could only hope that he could inspire them, that the fulfilment of his dream would motivate the little ones to chase their own.
As the solo for the yellow rabbit came up, he stopped rocking his head side to side, glancing up at Fredbear, whom was handing down a microphone to him. It was his turn, his time to shine.
Holding the microphone, he closed his eyes, focusing for a few moments as he began. "And keep the memories..." As he started, he looked back up at the crowd, his eyes widening. His voice faded out, unable to continue the song. The instruments seemed to choke, the sound sputtering, glitching out into nothing.
The silence became louder than the song that had once filled the room.
The children looked horrifying, twisted and almost unrecognizable. They were covered in red, gashes and deep stab wounds leaking blood from them. Their eyes were blackened and hollowed, white dots glowing from within the voids. Around the voids was sunken in, bags under their eyes as if they were sleep deprived.
Spring Bonnie tightened the grip on the microphone, terrified to keep looking, and terrified to look away. He didn't even notice that the previously white stage lights had turned red.
His gaze quickly shifted to Fredbear, needing reassurance of some kind, something to make the overwhelming and confusing situation more bearable. "Fre-"
A choked cry of fear escaped him as he noticed the blood dripping from the yellow bear's jaws, his friend's eyes gone. They were staring down at him, unmoving, lacking expression as they stood silently.
"N-no-" He glanced back at the crowd, whom was now translucent and floating. The blood was gone from them now, but black tears trailed down their cheeks, replacing the unnerving scene with another. "What happe-"
Suddenly opening his hands and dropping the microphone, he stared at his own blood drenched hands, the red sticky substance coating the material that covered his endoskeleton. As he stared in fear, the bright yellow of his form faded into a green, holes forming as he began to deteriorate, decay setting in.
Please no! He couldn't get any more words out, his eyes wide as he pressed his hands against his face. His eyes darted around, feeling paralyzed as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing, of what was happening to him as he hunched over.
He wanted to hide, wanted to run, but it was as if nothing would respond. The feeling of his body not cooperating made his panic worse, tensing up further as anxiety overtook him.
"Bonnie." A hand on his shoulder caused his entire body to flinch, shuddering abruptly in terror as he turned to look back.
Fredbear was back to normal, his expression forming a look of concern. "Are you alright?" The expression became a knowing, sympathetic one as the terror on the rabbit's face was noticed.
The yellow rabbit looked back to the crowd, seeing that they were all safe and alive once more, unharmed. Relief washed over him, but he knew he would be unable to calm down enough to perform the rest of the song.
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My apologies for the writing. It's from an au I'm writing, where the animatronics are alive in their own way. The murders didn't happen in this world, but Spring Bonnie is having visions from where it did.
There is also more going on in the background of the story.
The Fourth Closet actually does so much for her. I genuinely forgot how much agency Jen took over raising Charlie after rereading Henry's note to her. He said he had written out detailed instructions for her if need be, but ultimately asks her to close all the closets, essentially turning Charlie off. I now have so many thoughts on this letter that it needs a new post. But, Jen kept her and raised her. She wasn't prepared but she took that on knowing Charlie was all that's left of her brother, and was somehow a conscious being. It wasn't her Charlie, but it was his. Unfortunately, that meant having to detach them both from Henry to live. And I understand why she didn't tell Charlie she was a robot, because to acknowledge that would again tie back to Henry and she wants to detach and Charlie is clearly living just fine so why shake everything up again. But like,,,,,, Jenny tell this girl at some point!!!!
"The day Charlie moved in with her at the age of 7, Aunt Jen told her plainly that she was not a replacement for Charlie's parents. By now, Charlie was old enough to understand that Jen had meant it as a gesture of respect, a way to reassure Charlie that her father would not be forgotten, that she would always be his child. But at the time it had seemed like an admonishment. Don't expect parenting. Don't expect love. And so Charlie didn't". Telling that to a freshly orphaned child is crazy, but Jen has to be heavily dissociating through all of this just to not go INSANE, and she said she had to harden to the world around her to keep Charlie safe. But, I think she meant it in both ways. Because while she did care for Charlie, she wasn't parenting her. There was no comfort, no affection, no bond. I think that she was afraid if she opened herself up more as a parent, she'd become Henry. To build that bond would be to open herself up to his delusion. There has to be distance. That's why she taught Charlie how to be self sufficient so young. It's the best middle ground she can find to keep both of them safe. Jen tells Charlie she 'has to be stronger than- (her father)', but i think it's more of a projection. She has to be stronger than Henry, because she's all Charlie has left. And so Jen needs that distance, needs Charlie to be strong for herself, so that she doesn't break. But also, another big reason for instilling such independence has to be to counteract the major codependent bond that Henry created. I know it's a meme, but Jen literally wants Charlie to be strong, independent, and not need a man: her father.
Their fight is where everything boils over. Charlie says it was their first fight, which makes sense. They weren't close enough to clash, but there was too much boiling underneath. Charlie screams all of her pain at her and how she failed to prevent it and all Jen can yell back is how she only cared for her, "flinging reassuring words that somehow dripped with poison". This tension Jen created is too great and it's rubber banding back in her face. It makes sense that it hurts, that she's being so defensive, but she's the one who let it stretch this far. Rereading Charlie thinking "i need him more than I need you" (referring to going back to Hurricane for Sammy) made me bawl my eyes out because Charlie got so independent that she literally needs her dead-not-dead brother more than she needs Jen!!!!! This is such an impossible position Jen is never winning. All this time trying to keep Charlie away from Hurricane, only for her biggest lesson to be what drives Charlie back. Again, it's all rubber banding back. She needs Charlie away from Freddys, Fredbear's, and especially Henry's house if she's ever gonna be able to live a normal life. But, she's not opening herself up to Charlie to help her live that life, so she's defaulting back to her traumas. But Jen is also too traumatized to open herself up!!!! She cannot win I'm gonna cry!!!!!! Major side note but it's so interesting how important the house is to Charlie given she refuses to sleep or stay in it. It's like a time capsule for her.
And just as she is about to open up, to break down all these walls in an attempt to set everything right, SHE GETS KILLT. Why did Clay not die but she did. What does that man do for the plot after he discovers the illusion discs. What the hell. No Emily (with plot relevance) will survive this series i guess. A final act with Jen would've been so much better for the story and the pacing because we get someone with a lot, but not all, of the answers helping the main group and 4th Charlie doesn't have to lore dump EVERYTHING to Charlie and then DIE. The lore dump was gonna happen anyway it was just artificially pushed back by Jen dying. On that note: 4th Charlie and Jen's relationship also makes me ill. Not only is seeing 4th Charlie a reminder of everything that happened to get to this point and how bad it got, but a consequence of not burning that damn house down!! Another reason Jen didn't want Charlie going back is so she could literally burn the past away but couldn't because Charlie can't let that damn house go!! Anyways, 4th Charlie says "I love you, I really do" as she's ripping Jen's stomach open. The game's up, there's no reason to pretend anymore, but she doesn't say this sarcastically. I was initially confused, but I think she means it. Like 4th Charlie said, she has all of Charlie's memories but no emotional attachment to them. She's seen Jen raise Charlie and probably wanted to be Jen's Charlie. She was the next in line. All she wanted was a life and Jen could've given her a comfortable one. But it's too late now and she has a job to do. 4th Charlie didn't love actual Jen, but the idea of aunt Jen and what she could give her, but now they're both at a point where that's not possible anymore. That's why she says it, but doesnt really hold emotion behind it. It's true but detached. And that's how Jen goes out; telling a Charlie who needs it most that she loves her, probably for the first time ever, but it's too late for everything.
