Anti-Hero

• Chapter 1 •

The light was blinding and took some adjusting to. The animatronic stepped out of his charging station into the seemingly new world surrounding him.

The area was rich in vibrant yellows and greens, with dense vegetation all around it. It was still early in the evening, and the Pizza Plex was closed early for him. Dim sunlight seaped from the edges of the wall. Montgomery's first steps were slow and hesitant as he took in the environment around him.

This was all for him. This was his world. He laughed to himself at the thought but was still struck in awe at this attraction.

His reverie was cut short at the echoing sound of a metal door opening. He paused for a second to listen in on what had happened. When he heard voices approaching, he hurriedly rushed to one of the artificial water sources to check over his reflection. Once he was set, he silently waited a few more seconds as the group of voices turned the corner.

They were stunning. They were animatronics like him, only bigger and more refined. Their costumes sparkled and shined, and they walked with a sense of pride to them. When they caught sight of him, all of them turned and stared.

Monty began feeling more wobbly and nervous. He hesitantly leaned on the railing to appear more relaxed as he smiled awkwardly and waved.

"H-hi!" He stuttered. The bird and wolf animatronic started giggling to each other. Monty couldn't tell if they were mocking him or simply laughing just because.

A blue bunny animatronic stepped up. He elbowed them expectantly, which made both animatroics stop laughing and glance down sheepishly. He then sauntered over and offered his hand to Monty. The gator blinked in surprise before hesitantly reaching out and shaking his hand.

"You must be Montgomery Gator?" He asked politely, wearing a warm smile. Monty nodded nervously. The bunny tightened his grip around Monty's hand and chuckled.

"You've got a strong grip there, I like it!" He grinned and roughly patted him on the back. This made Monty more comfortable instantly, and he laughed back at the bunny.

"T-thanks, Mr. Bunny!" He thanked. The bunny lifted his hand to brush it off.

"Just call me Bonnie." He assured. He then stepped aside and gestured for the others to come over.

When the two animatronics were still whispering and laughing, Bonnie rolled his eyes goodheartedly.

"Don't worry about them. They're very shy." He turned to Monty. The wolf whipped her head towards Bonnie, visibly offended. While the bird animatronic approached him, Bonnie and the wolf rough housed playfully.

"My name is Chica, this is Roxanne!" She shook his hand aggressively. Monty straightened his hat and nodded in greeting to them. He couldn't help the smile forming on his face. These animatronics were not nearly as intimidating as they looked. They're like children!

All of them stepped back as the biggest one stepped forward. Monty's nervousness quickly returned at the sight of the large and stoic bear that had stopped in front of him. Bonnie jogged over and rested an elbow on the bear's arm.

"This is Freddy Fazbear, but we call him Freddy! He's in charge around here." Bonnie spoke for him. Freddy offered his hand out.

"It's...a pleasure to meet you, Montgomery." He spoke awkwardly. Monty hesitantly shook his head.

The tension that grew in the room was heavy, and things grew uncomfortable very fast. Bonnie broke the silence by clapping to get everyone's attention.

"Since we're here, why not show us some golf? That could be fun!" He suggested. Monty lit up at that idea and grinned widely. This could be his chance to impress them!

"Y-yeah! Follow me!" He gestured with his hand and jogged off. Chica and Roxanne hurried after him while Bonnie and Freddy trailed behind to talk.

When Monty made it to the first hole and handed them the putts, he glanced around confusedly.

"Where are the others...?" He asked. Roxanne scoffed.

"They're coming. They're taking their sweet ass time, but they're coming." She crossed her arms. Chica giggled.

"They're very close friends, and Freddy is very shy. They're probably just talking." She suggested. Roxanne scoffed.

"Yeah, they always do this! Those two travel so slow -" she was cut off.

"Is Roxanne talking again?!" Bonnie teased as the two of them came into view. Roxy tensed up and kept her arms crossed, avoiding eye contact awkwardly. This made Chica laugh again at her expense, and Monty couldn't help but join in the fun. Despite the leader, they had made a great first impression. Monty appreciated that Bonnie eased the tension and brightened everyone's moods. Monty felt accepted, like he was part of their group already. Though he had an odd feeling about Freddy.