Into the Pit | To Be Beautiful | Count the Ways
Pink-Eye isn't the only thing to be afraid of here.
Please, he wished, his eyes closed tight. Please let something interesting happen.
Tired of his boring summer and fuming from an argument with his Dad, Oswald decides to hide within the ball pit of an old pizzeria. However, upon coming out, he finds himself in Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza in 1985. He utilizes this time-travel ability until he ends up in the middle of a panic caused by the murders committed by Spring Bonnie. He escapes back to his own time, only for Spring Bonnie to follow him home, drag his father into the pit, and replace him. The only one who can see the monster pretending to be his father, it’s up to Oswald to set things right.
The first short story of the Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights series, Into the Pit also provides the title and cover for the first book. It was later adapted into the Graphic Novel collection in 2022, and is set to have a game adaptation in 2024.
Tropes related to “Into the Pit”:
- The '80s: The ballpit transports Oswald to 1985, where characters have gelled-back hair and listen to rockin' tunes.
- Accidental Time Travel: Oswald doesn't think there's anything special about the ballpit when he first enters it: he just wants to hide from his father for a little while. It's only when he gets out that he discovers its time-warping properties.
- Adapted Out: Bully Dylan Cooper isn't seen in the graphic novel adaptation.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: In a way; in the book, the six deceased children are left unnamed and undescribed. In the graphic novel, one panicked father specifically calls out for Susie, referring to the murdered child who would later be featured in "Coming Home."
- Adults Are Useless: Following Spring Bonnie's escape, none of the adults around Oswald can tell that anything has changed. This requires the ten-year-old to sneak out of his house while his Mom is away and deceive the pizzeria's owner in hopes of stopping his nightmare.
- Alas, Poor Villain: As the rabbit is dying, it looks almost pleadingly at Oswald for help. Oswald refuses, instead dragging his father out of the pit.
- Alternate Continuity: To the video games. Spring Bonnie shows Oswald "half a dozen" children's bodies propped up to look like they're at a birthday party, something that's later referenced in "You're the Band" as how the children were found. In the game universe, the children were ''never'' found, hence the title "Missing Children Incident." Their bodies were stuffed into the animatronics to hide them. It should also be noted that both the book and graphic novel imply there are six children present for this incident, while the games specify that there were only five missing children.
- Ambiguous Robots: In reality, Spring Bonnie is simply a springlock mechanical suit. However, the Spring Bonnie that stalks Oswald appears to be organic in some kind of way.
- Ambiguous Situation: The question of whether or not the ballpit can actually time-travel, or if Oswald is just experiencing memories echoed through the pit's agony, is brought up in later epilogues and left up to interpretation.
- What exactly the rabbit was up to, after following Oswald out, is also unknown. Was it just going to pretend to be Oswald's dad for the rest of time, or was it waiting for Oswald to slip up so it could drag him back to the pit?
- Bad Liar: Oswald's Informed Flaw, mentioned at the end of the story.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Oswald wishes for something interesting to happen to him over the summer. Something interesting sure does happen, though it's a bit more deadly than anticipated.
- Bookworm: A bit by necessity, Oswald ends up pouring through books during his summer days at the library. Mostly science fiction. It's implied that the new girl, Gabrielle, is one as well.
- The Bully: Dylan Cooper, who bothers Oswald throughout his childhood. Oswald says that Dylan is "the kind of kid who'd pick on anything that'd make you different." After dealing with Spring Bonnie, however, Oswald quickly shuts Dylan down, telling him he has bigger problems to deal with.
- Cats Are Magic: Jinx, the family cat, is the only one other than Oswald to see through Spring Bonnie's illusion.
- Death of a Child: Spring Bonnie– likely representing William Afton– proudly shows Oswald his handiwork: six murdered children, set up to look like they're at a party. A horrified Oswald notes that they're all younger than ten years old.
- Embarrassing Nickname: Since preschool, Oswald's bullies have been calling him "Oswald the Ocelot" in reference to a cartoon character. In fifth grade, they also start referring to him as Lee Harvey Oswald
. - Establishing Series Moment: The entire short serves as one for Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights, with its nonsensical yet terrifying plot and loose connection to Freddy's. The ballpit is also re-utilized in the following epilogues, with the book cover being used as the series' iconic image.
- Expy: Oswald's favorite films, Zendrelix, are thinly-veiled references to the early Godzilla films, what with their low special effects and bad dubbing.
- Failed a Spot Check: Oswald sees the Yellow Rabbit throughout his time-travel adventures, and thinks it's creepy, but because nobody else seems to see or mention it, he decides not to worry about it. That ends up being a mistake.
- After Oswald's mother comes home and claims his father is alright and that she hasn't seen the rabbit, Oswald doesn't even bother to leave his room and check for himself if the rabbit is gone. This leads to him becoming very freaked out in the morning when the rabbit sits down at the breakfast table.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: Once in the '80s, Oswald tries his best, but still slips up when talking to kids from the time period and betrays his lack of knowledge of appropriate pop culture. He tries to look up '80s movies and games at the library whenever he's not at the ballpit.
- Foul Ball Pit: The time-traveling Agony-infused ballpit is basically our main set piece.
- The Ghost: Oswald's grandmother. His family decided against moving out of town in order to stay nearby in case she needed help. She doesn't appear directly in the story, however.
- Hair-Raising Hare: Spring Bonnie at first is just an unnerving animatronic. When it attacks Oswald, however, it reveals itself to be something else entirely.
- Happy Ending: Despite being the first story in a horror series, Oswald manages to defeat the rabbit and free his father with no implications of the darkness returning to his life.
- Humanoid Abomination: Spring Bonnie. Initially, only Oswald is able to see it inside the ballpit, at least until it follows him out and kidnaps his father. It then replaces Oswald's father without anyone else — including his own wife — acknowledging the change; only Oswald himself continues to see it for what it really is. One might suspect illusion discs to be involved...at least until it unhinges its jaw during Oswald's final confrontation with it, revealing itself to be organic. It ultimately dies by asphyxiation after hanging itself on a rope, but even after its demise, Oswald's father is left unable to remember anything that happened involving it. Then there's the matter of whatever connection it may have to William Afton...
- I Just Want to Have Friends: While Oswald keeps wishing just that something interesting would happen, it becomes clear through his missing Ben contrasted with his joy upon hanging out with Chip and Mike that he just wants someone to spend time with. The end of the story implies that he will be friends with Gabrielle moving forward.
- Kill and Replace: Spring Bonnie does that to Oswald's dad in "Into the Pit", with nobody but Oswald himself noticing. Thankfully, Oswald later finds his father unconscious, but alive.
- Kindhearted Cat Lover: Oswald and his family have a spoiled black cat, Jinx.
- Monster of the Week: Spring Bonnie.
- More Teeth than the Osmond Family: Spring Bonnie is described as having multiple rows of teeth once his mouth is opened.
- Mummies at the Dinner Table: Instead of being stuffed into suits, Spring Bonnie shows Oswald that his victims have been propped up as if they're at a party.
- Mysterious Past: Nobody in Oswald's town ever mentions the Freddy's that Jeff's Pizza used to be, leaving him to find out for himself. When he asks his dad about it, his dad gets awkward around the subject, implying that he knows about (or was present for) said event and is keeping the more gory details from his son.
- No Full Name Given: Oswald's never given a last name. His parents don't even get a first.
- No Name Given: While the audience knows the rabbit to be Spring Bonnie, Oswald never hears the animatronic's name, leading him to refer to it exclusively as "the Yellow Thing."
- Noose Catch: When Oswald pushes the rabbit off of him in the fight, the rabbit ends up caught in the ballpit rope and hangs himself on accident.
- Psychic Children: Implied with Oswald; he dreams up and draws the Freddy Fazbear animatronics in his sketchbook long before finding out anything about Freddy's.
- Shout-Out: Mike's favorite movie is Back to the Future. Oswald thinks this is hilariously ironic.
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Signature Scene: For both this short and the entire Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights series: when Spring Bonnie leaps out and drags Oswald's father into the pit, fights with him, and then emerges alone. - Silent Antagonist: Eerily, Spring Bonnie never speaks, only dead-staring at everything. When in disguise as Oswald's dad, other people seem to hear him.
- Small Town Boredom: Oswald hates living in his economically dying town, and envies his friend Ben for being in more exciting places and being able to afford vacations.
- They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: Oswald's father really dislikes the film reboots that Oswald wants to watch, saying that the originals from his childhood were better. Oswald takes offense to this, as he prefers the new special effects.
- Time Travel: Oswald jumps into a Ball Pit located in an old Freddy Fazbear's location. When he emerges, he is sent to the past, to when Freddy's was still open. Later epilogues however implied that the ball pit might not actually be able to time travel, but be some sort of entrance to some sort of spirit world limbo for the souls of Eleanor's victims.
- Trauma-Induced Amnesia: Oswald's dad can't remember seeing Oswald in the pit or being attacked by Spring Bonnie. It may be from a concussion gained in the attack, or it may be from the magical effects of the pit.
- True Sight: Oswald is the only one who can see that Spring Bonnie isn't his dad. Everyone else seems fooled.
- Unnamed Parent: Neither of Oswald's parents are given names.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Oswald leaves the pit even after seeing the panic and commotion that the rabbit has caused because he's worried that his friends, Chip and Mike, might be present and in danger. He quickly forgets about them after being lured by the rabbit, though, and they get a singular mention at the end as Oswald thinks that he'll miss them, but will never return to the ballpit again.
- When I Was Your Age...: A favorite talking point of Oswald's dad, who likes to tell his son about how much better it was when he was a kid.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: Oswald's mother works a twelve-hour shift at the hospital, preventing her from seeing her son anytime but breakfast. Over the summer, his dad also has to leave him alone at the library in order to make it to work on time.
- Working-Class Hero: Oswald's family has become pretty poor following his father's job loss. With both his parents working difficult hours, Oswald has to be shepherded to Jeff's Pizza to keep him under supervision... which is how this whole thing starts.
