Chapter 10- Owl of Artificial Intelligence

Horton's POV

Yes, he will definitely do I thought in my mind as I quickly ran a diagnostic check using my eye, which was able to scan the robot of any statistical information.

Now, since I was an owl, I was actually once part of a library business that used models like me to scan books to check to see if it's either on time, or the reader owes a fine. Due to this, I, along with the owlish nature programmed in me to embrace knowledge, poured over thousands, maybe even millions of books, gleaning knowledge from them, but I was mostly interested, for some reason, in mechanics. Whenever a person damaged me, accident or on purpose, I would always be able to fix myself, whether it was a small scratch, to a missing CPU component, I always knew what to do to fix it.

I was in great shape still, until the business sadly hired another robot to take my place, who treated me like an old man, always pushing me around, making me do all the work for him. One such fight was then provoked, causing me, not the new one, to be out on the streets. It was then that I stumbled upon Marionette, who was at the time, was physically disabled due to strings attached to his hands and feet, and a missing skeleton, making him forced to move by dragging himself around.

But I was able to help him by cutting them off, and making a new endoskeleton for him. Since that day of giving him new freedom, we had been best friends since. And, since he was bringing along a forth an animatronic that had experienced such a large amount of torture, I was more than happy to offer my help in any way, especially when it came to ring fighting. I had always fancied drawing weapons and armor, it was perhaps caused by when I read about medieval times, ever since then, I was hooked on them.

The real answer would probably never be known, but with that I was satisfied, so I always continued to improve my diagrams and sketches, helped by Argos, who was great at working metals, to finish and test them, and if I have to say so myself, they have been some of the best works the ring has ever seen.

While inspecting the fox, who Marionette later told me was named Foxy, I found very unique things about him. Since he was a fox as his base character, I could see him being sly and careful, yet also aggressive and strong when needed to, so I trusted Marionette in choosing the fox to handle the equipment I had in mind. But still, I had to give him the usual test that I use for my armor, since he is metal, he will, unfortunately, have to be tested like it. But there was one problem still.

We had to let him choose.

That part gave me the greatest worry, whether he will choose or not, it will affect his, and possibly our lives as well, since not only will he join the three ring legendaries, he will become the target of many rivals that will want to get him on either their own team, or kill him. I pondered, and hoped for Foxy to accept as Marionette explained it to him in complete honesty, stating out both the good and the bad aspects of it.

3rd Person

"Now, Foxy, the reason that I brought you here was so that you can choose in a matter that is very important, are you listening and paying attention?" after Foxy nodded slowly, Marionette continued, obviously not the most enthusiastic person when explaining this topic.

"You see Foxy, before I was ever the pizzeria attraction that you came to know as, I was once, with Horton over here" which said person waved a wing at him, added "I was actually known to be a, how do you say, popular person here? But that was a long time ago, and I'll explain that to you in greater detail later, since I'm charged with giving you the decision of joining us, or not." This earned him a bewildered look from Foxy, who responded

"Join you? Join you and the owl in what?" Sighing, Marionette rubbed his temples, clearly not pleased with what he was dealt with to explain.

Finally, after what seemed to be an hour of silence, Marionette spoke again, "I, was once part of a team that fought others in rings or matches, usually for the benefit of others' enjoyment", unfortunately, Foxy obviously seemed like he didn't believe him, as he laughed in a short gurgle.

"Marionette, I know that you are a friend to me, since you helped to repair me all those times Freddy and his gang beat me up, but I think what you said was untrue." Frowning, Marionette tried a different approach.

"Foxy, what I had just said was true, and believe me, it is. Remember that drawing of the armor you just saw on the table? What else do you think it could have been used for, a costume party?" after receiving an unsure look from Foxy, Marionette explained further "That's what I had thought, now, Horton was the one who designed that, along with countless others that I, myself, have used during my time here in, well, in the fighting arena."

This only earned him a still confused look from Foxy, so Marionette sighed, before his head snapped back up quickly, an idea coming into his mind. Slowly, he stretched out his hand, palm up, towards Foxy.

"Reach out, grab, hold, close your eyes, and don't let go for a second" Marionette said, almost like an order.

"Grab your hand? Are you going to 'teleport' me again to some other place?" Foxy replied, uncertain of what Marionette could possibly do to him.

Angrily, Marionette yelled "Just do it! You'll see what I mean. Besides, it's much more different then teleportation." And he still let his hand be stretched outwards towards him.

Finally, after a long silence filled the room, with Horton sitting on the outside, watching with intent eyes, Foxy obeyed, and firmly gripped the puppet's outstretched hand.

What he had experienced next was something he definitely did not expect to happen next, as his mind was then filled with images of torn apart robots lying around in the sandy area of what appeared to be a coliseum. He also saw two figures fighting one another, however this was not like the way Freddy fought with him, which was much different.

He saw both of the mysterious figures wearing once elaborate armor, now hanging shreds on their metal bodies, as they fought with unusual looking weapons, each dodging artfully and quickly as they prepared counterstrikes, making the fight last for what seemed like a century. But what Foxy also saw shocked him.

One of them was Marionette.

However he didn't have much time to think about it before he saw the other animatronic, a bird, he thought, slow down considerably, and Marionette took the opportunity to quickly step to his side, pushing his weapon, which resembled a blade, right into the gap between the opponent's defenses. As the bird fell on its side, dying and coughing oil, Foxy could hear cheers surrounding him, before hearing a dark voice that boomed out to the open stage of death.

"Attention! Attention, my citizens!" a gold colored rabbit shouted, who stood on top of a podium that overlooked everything in the arena, "We have a new champion! Let's all say his name!"

Foxy had to then cover his ears as the crowd roared to the sky.

"Marionette! Marionette! Marionette!"

Foxy could then see out of the corner of his eye, seeing Marionette, the apparent new champion, walk on his skinny, gentle looking frame, onto the dead bird, raising his weapon upwards as they called his name.

After that, he could rapidly see other images fill his mind's eye, including him seeing Marionette fighting up to eight others in a fight, causing the bloodthirsty crowd to cheer, as well as in one occasion, seeing him fight a giant animatronic that towered over the rest, but somehow Marionette defeated it. Years and years of memories filled his own memory banks, combined with his own pain-filled ones, making him see with understanding as he opened his eyes to Marionette, who had let go, who was slightly shaken about the incident.

Nodding after he saw Foxy's awestruck expression, Marionette crossed his arms, speaking in a controlled, even-toned voice.

"Well, now you know that what I said was true, so I'll explain it to you. Horton, come up here." The owl came up and walked up to his side, standing still, as Marionette continued "He was the one who designed the armor I wore, which was the reason I survived against the bird you saw die. His name I don't remember, God rest his soul, but he was another fighter like me, in the arena." He went on with Horton's background story as the nocturnal avian stretched his wing out to Foxy.

"Horton is a brilliant mind really, rescued me when I was weighed down with those torturous strings, all I was able to do was drag my arms and legs, like a jellyfish, as the strings only got me caught and made things extremely slow. When I found him in the street, thrown away like I was, he saw me, so he cut off my strings, and made me a skeleton to walk around with. I never forgot that act of kindness."

"Later on, I will probably never explain how we got into the business, as it is too long to explain, Horton always had ideas about improving my performance in fighting, so he sketched and drew more designs that revolutionized the world of arena fighting. Some of his designs were decades ahead of the rival team's technology, so he is now respected and regarded as one of the best, the elite." Marionette finished, after Foxy eventually shook the offered wing.

Horton then spoke, reliving Marionette of his already tiring mouth, "That much was true, yes, I worked on technology ever since I was thrown away as the old, disregarded model, and I had made many delightful discoveries as I had worked and worked. But still, despite all my impressive designs, we had to have one person who knew how to make the images I had in mind, a very good one. I'll introduce you to him." Horton then guided Foxy to another room, which emitted intense heat and the stench of chemicals, as Horton absentmindedly named them.

"Phosphorous, sulfur, hmm, perhaps …" earning an interested expression on his face, "magnesium?"

He then opened the door, revealing a steaming work table that presented anvils, mallets, water buckets, and tools of other variances and preferences. Marionette and Foxy waited while Horton went to go the forth member of the party. Knocking on a thick, reinforced steel door, he called out

"Hey Argos! You in there?" sounds of shuffling could be heard, before the being inside replied.

"Yessssss I am! Whatssss it?" a raspy, rough voice answered.

"Marionette is back here! And he has a friend! The new fighter, the reason why he came back!" Horton never got to complete it entirely as the animatronic inside sprinted out to see if he was right, his reptilian jaw dropping in surprise when he saw that the avian was right. Grinning, he stepped out of the dark room into the glow of the hot metals nearby him, saying,

"Marionette! You're back! And you gotssss a new fighter assssss well? Thatsssss great!"

Foxy could see Argos, the forth member, that much he figured out, as a lizard that held a scar filled frame, complete with yellow reptile eyes that measured him carefully, making him uncomfortable. He could guess that he also had a tail attached, but had about a forth of it was chopped away, making a little difference in his walking and posture, resulting him in having him to bend a little forward. But if he was standing straight, he could have been a little taller than Foxy, but he wasn't sure due to the frills that stuck out on his head, trailing back to the stump of his tail.

Argos stretched out a leathery hand towards him, and he shook it, careful of the sharp butcher-knife like claws that protruded from the fingertips.

Argos nodded, replying in a carefree, happy voice.

"So, you're the new fighter to replace Marionette?"