Night 1, 12:45 am

"Like, what are the odds?! I join my friend on a sugar free diet and—boom— pizzeria offers me free pizza."

     Thomas repeatedly slammed a finger on keyboard buttons, flipping through another round of security checks on empty rooms.

"I mean, at least it wasn't you guys. I haven't bought pizza here, so I can't tell you if it's the best. But between you and me, Dominoes has a special place in my heart."

     Boredom and anxiety threatened his sanity 15 minutes ago, and rambling off to a puppet figurine slouched next to his computer eased him tremendously. The thing was mere decoration, but it provided some sort of company.

"Y'know, I tried making pizza once. Keyword: once. I literally almost burned my apartment down. Like, I think I set the timer right—and here's the thing, my fire alarm broke a long time ago..."

     He trailed off, fixated on the digital display of a small stage and its owner. His chest seized up, heartbeat cranked in velocity.

     Thomas let out a nervous chuckle and waved a dismissive hand at the screen.

"Gli—there was a glitch. Everything is rusty. They haven't changed the systems since you guys opened up."

     It was more to himself. He took in a few deep breaths, then started talking again.

"So my alarms were long dead, and I'm browsing through Netflix—"

     His finger froze. A cold sensation pivoted up his stomach. Thomas flashed a quivering smile at the robot.
"Old t-tech. Say, the 'bots are turned off at night...right?"

     The ever present smile of the puppet was his only response.

"Well, they should be." He quickly switched to another camera's view.
"Does it, like, ever occur to anyone that you guys need an upgrade? Maybe you'd like Netflix. And binge shows. I could be watching something now...hmm. Ever heard of—"

     A crash in the distance nearly made him fall off the chair. With twitching muscles, he went through all cams.
"I'll...uh..." he gulped, "...tell you about Steven Universe later."

    A shuffling near the door locked up his joints. He glanced at the smiling robot, it's outfit didn't have a speck of dust, unlike the rest of the desk.

"Hey...Candy? Can I call you that?"         
Thomas could barely hear his own strained whisper. "Cuz your cheeks remind me of lollipops. You wouldn't mind me singing, would you?"

     The shuffling of heavy metal grew closer.

"Never mind. Bad, bad idea. I need to shut up."

     Thomas got down on all fours and crawled under the desk, clutching his knees to his chest.

     The doorknob turned. He didn't dare breathe as a quaint figure stepped inside. From his cramped spot he could see robotic legs pace around, close enough to hear their gears churning and whirring.

     He shut his eyes tight. It became quiet.

     Too quiet.

     He squinted one eyeball open. Glowing, magenta eyes stared back at him.

     Thomas shrieked and pressed himself against the wall.

A smiling, metal face peered at him. White pinpricks of light shone through its pupils, cold and harsh. It's ruby hair, shiny from plastic, was the same shade of blood. A small crown stood crooked on it.

"Greetings, friend."

     The animatronic spoke smoothly, almost human, but a mechanical clink to its voice proved otherwise. "If you're half as smart as you think you are, don't bother putting up a fight."

Thomas could only stare in shock, which encouraged the humanoid robot to keep talking.

"I mean, you won't even win." The creature extended a hand to the petrified human. "So be a good peasant and come out."

"Y-y-yo-you talk!" Thomas sputtered, hardly believing his eyes and ears.

"Don't act surprised." The white lights grew in intensity. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

It's last few words were hissed. Impatient, the fancy robot snatched both ankles in one swoop and hauled the guard into the open. Thomas tried to grab onto anything, but the literal iron grip prevented him from latching onto anything within an arm's range. His feet were growing numb and tingly from the lack of blood flow.

"No! Wait—I've never been here before!"

His upper torso dragged along the icy checkered-tiled floor. Solid footsteps clanked down the hallway.

"Don'tcha dare play Tom Foolery with me, I've heard all the excuses in the book."

"I've never been here before," Thomas pleaded. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from whimpering. "I don't know you! You've made a mistake! I-I can prove it!"

The robot stopped. It held the man in front of him, dangling upside down. "How so?"

Blood rushed to his head, but he managed to form a distinguishable sentence.

"My name is Thomas Foley Sanders..."

"You lack creativity, Rumplestilskin."

The man resumed being slid across the floor. Table legs and dining chairs came into view. Without warning, he was thrusted into a hard, wooden surface.

"We're here."

The guard coughed and rubbed the back of his head. He stiffened at the sound of mechanisms creaking above him. Now afraid of sitting up, he slowly turned his head to the ceiling.

Another mascot, this one with rectangular glasses, formal attire and a color pallet of dark blue, bent down and narrowed piercing eyes at the human. It had the same red rosy cheeks as Prince Robot and a grim tone that contrasted it's smile.

"Appearances are a match. Thank you, Creativity."

The prince, Creativity as it'd been called, simply gave a small nod and strode away. Once the robot was fully emerged in shadows, the one looming over him piped up.

"Do you have enough reason left in your minuscule brain to think about every action you'll take?

Thomas swallowed repeatedly, attempting to keep down his dinner.

Thick, metal fingers retracted into its palms and were replaced with kitchen blades. The robot's blue eyebrows made a V-shape. It too, had blazing white dots residing in its gaze.

"Because I can assure you that a human's instinct for self-preservation will not prevail."

Thomas scrambled up and bolted to his office, hyper-aware of thudding steps launching after him. He skidded inside the small room and bolted the door shut.

Panting, he piled up anything he could find against the wooden frame: stray boxes, a chair, a small bookshelf, anything with significant weight.

The sight of a marionette startled him, but Thomas relaxed his shoulders when he realized it was Candy.

Wait...

"Are you alive like them?" The guard pointed at the figurine, not sure whether to be afraid or relieved. "C-can you tell them that they're mistaking me for someone? You can hear me, right?"

A strange, clicking sound alerted him of the said presence. The door's hinges were beginning to loosen.

The puppet didn't move.

Thud!

Thomas wheeled. A crazed animatronic stepped atop the fallen door, tucking away a screwdriver in a pocket of its left arm. It glared at him, fury raging in sapphire eyes.

The humanoid robot came inside, easily pushing aside insignificant obstacles, and raised its bladed-hand, ready to slash flesh to pieces. Thomas covered his face and braced for the impact.

"Stop."

     A voice rang behind him. It sounded like a young female, and a soft edge accompanied it.

"Logic, he's not him."

     Who?! What?

"Preposterous! My facial recognition is never incorrect."

"Consider yourself wrong this time. End of discussion."

     Then silence.

Time seemed to draw out so long that he could swear the world froze. Cautious, he peeked out between the spaces of his fingers.

The creature had retracted its deadly claws. Its pale white face stood at the doorway, no longer looking at him like prey.

"I've been informed about your status. You are no threat, but heed my words: the children are under our protection. Do not make yourself a threat."

The animatronic walked backwards, never breaking eye contact, until it vanished into the hall. Thomas stayed still for a long time. When his guts deemed it safe to move, he turned back to the computer.

Candy was gone.

———————————————-
I'm sure this concept was thought up of before, but I'm giving it a shot.
🖤Thanks to @_dum_e on Twitter for inspiring me to write this (cover art credits go to them as well) 🖤
*There won't be a Golden Freddy equivalent in this au*
Chapter 2 is coming up next Monday :) Happy reading!