1983

1983, July

Mark returned at six A.M. the next day, just as he said he would. Jessica almost didn't let him leave, however... she practically boarded up the house. He assured her, however, that he would be back by noon. Whether he'd be able to uphold that promise, Mark did not know. When he arrived, he found William in the long corridor of the building.

Bolts had been methodically laid out in the floor's tiles, and he looked up to see the man in his purple himself, fixing the Spring Bonnie mascot into its place on the stage. It took up most of the far, stage-left side of the wooden platform, and it held the pose of a gleeful wave towards the audience. Its lower eyelids were curled up, letting its glassy eyes take on a look of excitement and joy. Dust had evidently settled on the shoulders and head of the suit, but as William set it in its place on the stage with a jerk, the small particles burst off in different directions, finely defined by streaks of sunlight that beamed through the unfinished ceiling. Mark could feel the emotions that the incomplete diner was giving off right now; a sense of completion, fulfillment, even though the diner was barely half-finished.

William Afton twisted and turned the Spring Bonnie mascot's head on its shoulders until it looked forward, parallel with the rest of the body. Then, Afton turned to Mark, smiling.

"Please forgive me, Mark, I was just touching up our friend Bonnie here." He chuckled. "Follow me. I have something to show you."

Afton jerked his head towards the closet, and both made their way to the small alcove from opposite sides of the stage hall. William went in first, and Mark followed close behind. Afton took a flashlight from his belt, and shone it over the room, and the first thing Mark saw was the yellow Fredbear suit.

"That one is for you," he said. "Henry has decided that he'll wear the suits lightly, and alternate between the Spring Bonnie and Fredbear suits, so that one will be yours primarily," he smiled. "Come on, let's get you settled in."

After Mark had gone through the long and tedious procedure of recoiling the springlock mechanisms, he put on each individual part of the Fredbear suit. With each new piece, a jolt of adrenaline pumped through his body.

"Look at that," William mused with a sort of reserved excitement. "It fits you perfectly!"

"So, you want me to wear this thing when the restaurant opens?" Mark asked.

"Well... the day it opens, yes, because we're giving this place a grand opening with a child's birthday party- the first birthday party we'll ever host. Since it's gonna be the first day, I'll need you as our day shift security guard. On future birthdays and special celebrations, however, I'll have you wear the suit. But on normal days, you'll wear your standard uniform."

Mark nodded, but it wasn't a strong enough one to be visible from the other side of the mask. He was about to jerk his head forward to give a more powerful nod, when he suddenly remembered the springlocks in the suit. I need to be careful...

"Right," Chandar said, slowly. "So... what will I have to do in the suit?" he asked.

"Great question," William said. "On your days in the mascot suit, you'll be handing cake out to the kids, performing on stage in the animatronics' place- but don't worry, we have pre-recorded songs, so you don't need to actually sing- and interacting with the kids like the giant, friendly bear that represents this establishment," and William's smile took on a sense of pride- pride in all of the hard work he poured into this project, Mark quickly realized.

A few minutes later, Mark was practicing some quick stretches, having grown stiff from practically freezing in the suit out of fear of tripping any of the mechanisms.

"Mark," William said, resting his hand on Chandar's shoulder. "I just want to say- on behalf of myself and Henry; on behalf of Fredbear's Family Diner- I wouldn't have rather found anyone other than you."