Alright, Mr. Wigglesworth, we should talk about Puppet. The anti-virus CD is getting really close to being done, but I feel like we should find a way to speed up the process. What do you think?

Hmm...try dipping his head into an open sewer.

Uh, maybe a less violent idea?

I don't have any of those.

Of course you don't. Hah.

It was another day, and Foxy was relaxing inside his cove again, chatting with Mr. Wigglesworth about Puppet. Foxy had talked to the marionette earlier, and apparently the anti-virus CD was almost done patching things up. The responsible side of him wanted to leave it be, but there was also a part of him that wanted to try to help speed things along. The sooner Puppet was completely cured, the sooner things could be one hundred percent normal.

"I've got a great idea of how to cure your friend. Hand his body over to me, why don't you? I can take it over and purge the virus myself. Problem solved."

That's a dumb idea. I don't agree with your methods.

Well, I can see easily that you're just doing that so you can have a way to take over a new body. And also, Mr. Wigglesworth doesn't agree.

The voice seemed to sigh. "Foxy...do you not understand that that stuffed bear of yours is incapable of talking to you? It has nothing to say and it never will. There is no need to bring its nonexistent ramblings into our conversations."

He can talk to me, though. He always does. All the time.

"Him talking is all in your head. You imagine him speaking to you. You cannot deny that. Besides, if he does, why can't I or anyone else hear him speak?"

It...doesn't work that way.

"Then how does it work, hmm?"

That doesn't matter! Anyway, you really need to stop asking me for a body. You're probably smart enough to realize that my answer will be no every single time you ask.

"Of course I know that. But what's the fun in saying nothing? Pestering you and gaining reactions is a lot more entertaining, I'll tell you that. Besides, you wouldn't know what it's like to not have your own body...to be trapped inside an inescapable prison of someone else's making, forced to hear the daily nonsense of some other being, for what could be forever. A much better way to live would be to truly exist...and a body is the path to that."

Foxy paused, scowling at the voice even though he could not physically see it. ...the way I see it, you're not even a real being. All you are is a broken part of my brain that wants to rebel against me and cause everyone harm. And one day, that broken part is going to get fixed.

"Do not lie to yourself. I'm not some part of you that gained sentience. I was a moving, living being long before you and I crossed paths."

But you're also a threat, which gives me full justification to get rid of you as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Right, Mr. Wigglesworth.

Exactly right. If we see a way to destroy the voice, then we're taking that way whether the voice likes it or not.

See? He agreed with me.

"Must you insist on continuing these mindless illusions of another person being with us? That bear is a toy. He doesn't live, or move, or think, or act, or talk. He's nothing more than an object that you fancy a personal friend. Am I wrong?"

Of course you're wrong. He's so much more than a stuffed bear.

"To you, maybe. But to everyone else? He's nothing." The voice seemed to shake its nonexistent head, or at least give off the feeling of doing so into Foxy's entire mindscape. "Seeing you argue on the behalf of a nonliving thing is both mildly entertaining and mildly annoying. I must say, I cannot wait to regain control over your body and put it to greater purpose while I shove your consciousness into the void in the back of your mind. You may see that as an idle threat, but you have no idea of what I'm considering doing to you to get what I want..."

Foxy shoved the voice back into the corner of his mindscape, but his mind continued to dwell on its words. Was the voice planning something new? He'd have to look out if it was. There was no telling what it would do next, and it would never tell.

He decided to let it go from his mind and relax against the wall of his cove some more. He had checked his database's calendar and learned that today was Christmas day, and since it was, Ballora was bound to come out sometime and get everyone in to begin the celebration. Thankfully, it was a bit too early for her to be ready at that current moment, so Foxy thought that he'd take the time to relax before he got wrapped up in the Christmas business again.

Unfortunately for his plans, he didn't get much more time to relax. He heard some nearby noises, and then Puppet came rushing into the room. He was grinning widely, looking more pleased with himself than he had in a while.

"Oh, hey, Puppet." Foxy greeted. "So, I was thinking I might be able to try some things that could make your recovery process go faster. How about it?"

"No need!" Puppet exclaimed jovially. "The anti-virus just got finished working! The virus is all gone, and I'm back to normal!"

"Really? You told me earlier it was almost finished, but it's done now?"

"Yep! I'm completely cured and I'm feeling great. I'm happier then I've been in a while."

"Great. Glad to see you back to your usual old self, Puppet."

"As am I. Thanks for helping me out during the whole thing."

"Hey, don't thank me. I was just doing what friends do. We've known each other for so long, so it's only natural that I'd support you in your times of need."

"Thanks anyway." Puppet nodded. "So, want to do something today? I feel so good, I feel like being active. Got any ideas?"

Foxy thought about it enthusiastically. "We could go grab some food from the kitchen first. Processing food's always a nice time."

"Can't argue with that. Let's get going!"

They left Foxy's cove together. Foxy was so glad that Puppet was feeling much better. Now they could forget that he ever had a virus and go back to having fun together, just like before. And because of it, Puppet was actually willing to spend time with Foxy. He hadn't even put up a fight.

Foxy felt pretty pleased overall. Maybe today would be a really good day. Maybe nothing would go wrong, and he could just enjoy himself.

Meanwhile...

Freddy was chewing down some chicken in the kitchen. He was always ready to eat more, and today was no exception. He had already grabbed some for himself and asked Dinah to cook more when he could. The chef was always happy to oblige, as the process of cooking chicken seemed to come easier to him than pizza.

As the bear ate, he considered what he would do for the rest of the day. Maybe sleep some more, or see what the others were up to...or even just continue eating chicken. Eh, he'd figure it out one way or another.

But as he started to lift another piece of chicken to his mouth, the kitchen door slammed open. In came Bon-Bon, a scathing look on his face as he scanned the room. He saw Freddy and crawled over to him.

"FREDDY!" He shouted.

"Huh?!" Freddy replied, flabbergasted at the sudden hostility. Dinah looked up from his work at the counter, giving the hand-puppet a confused look. "Bon-Bon, what's with the yelling? I didn't do anything this time, okay?!" Freddy replied.

"I don't care about that!" The hand-puppet interrupted, still upset. "Tell me something now! Where. Is. Puppet?!"

"Puppet? Um...I'm not sure. Maybe inside his box or something?"

"I already checked in his box. He wasn't there! Tell me where he is! I have to find him, now!"

Dinah looked a little anxious. "Erm...please excuse me." He quietly went to the nearby break room and closed the door behind him. Freddy heard the turn of the lock right after the door was closed.

Freddy put his hands up. "Don't get angry with me, Bon-Bon. I'm being serious when I say that I don't know. And why are you so frustrated, anyway? What happened?"

"That's not IMPORTANT! The important thing is for me to find Puppet, and right now. He's going to pay. I'm going to get back at him for everything he's done since I got here. Mark my words!"

"Please, Bon-Bon, don't get so angry! I don't know what Puppet did, but you really need to calm down. If you don't cool off, you're going to end up doing something reckless!"

"I don't CARE! It doesn't matter what it is that I do as long as I get back at him! He won't get off. Not this time. I'm sick of being mistreated because of some stupid vendetta he has, so I'm taking action! That masked freak is going to pay for the way he's been to me!"

"Come on, Bon-Bon. I understand if you're hurt, but you really can't get this mad. Try to be civil. That's what Foxy would say."

"What Foxy says doesn't matter. What I say to get revenge on Puppet is what I've got to focus on! Now, where is he? You have to know something, surely!"

Freddy continued to argue with Bon-Bon about it. He didn't understand why the hand-puppet was as upset as he was, but he knew he had to try and cool him off before something bad happened...

As Foxy left his room with Puppet and headed towards the kitchen, he frowned. He could hear lots of noises in the kitchen. It sounded like full-on yelling was breaking out. One of the voices seemed like Freddy, and the other was...Bon-Bon? Bon-Bon had come back?

Foxy felt worried, though. The tones and inclusion of yelling made it clear that whatever was going on in the kitchen wasn't pleasant or peaceful. He knew he had to check it out and see what was going on.

He turned to Puppet. "I hear yelling inside the kitchen. Do you hear that?"

"Yeah." Puppet replied. "Wonder what kind of fight is going on in there."

Foxy sighed. "Doesn't sound good. We'd better get in there and defuse the situation."

They went over to the kitchen door and opened it up, heading inside. When they entered, they saw Freddy, a nervous look on his face. The bear was backed up against the wall and talking loudly with Bon-Bon. The hand-puppet seemed to be harshly interrogating Freddy about something.

"Bon-Bon! There you are!" Foxy called. "Could you please explain what all the yelling is for?"

"I don't have time to hear you-" The hand-puppet began, and he turned around. He let out a gasp, and his face became even meaner. His eyes were locked in place, staring right at Puppet. "YOU!"

"Huh?" Puppet stammered, taken aback.

"I knew I'd find you! Don't act innocent about anything, either! You know what you did! And you know what? I'm TIRED of this! I'm tired of you mistreating me! I'm tired of being wacked around by you because you dislike me so much! I...I hate you! I hate you so much! I hate you more than anyone else I've ever met!"

Foxy was frozen in place. He couldn't understand. Why was...?

"I..." Puppet mumbled.

"So guess what? I'm not going to be silent anymore! Never again!" Bon-Bon cried. "You...you're-!"

And then it was let all out. The hand-puppet proceeded to let out the most awful tirade Foxy had ever heard him utter in his entire life. There was no kindness or nervousness or anything remotely friendly within the hand-puppet's tone. It was nothing but pure, unbridled fury, and now it was all being released. He was saying so much that Foxy couldn't process it all, but it was harsh. There were many curse words being said, many terrible comparisons, and other threats and insults.

The whole time, nobody seemed to move. Freddy's eyes were wide, and he could not look away from Bon-Bon. Foxy's jaw was hanging open, surprised at everything. And worst of all, Puppet was stuck. His facial expression was unreadable, but if someone asked Foxy, he would say that it was some kind of intelligible version of shock.

"...AND THAT'S WHY YOU'RE THE WORST PERSON TO EVER EXIST, YOU...YOU...YOU OVERCOOKED, NEEDY, SELF-ABSORBED, COCKY BASTARD! YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN A RUSTY BUCKET OF BROKEN BOLTS! EVERYONE WOULD BE HAPPIER IF YOU WERE DEAD! I WOULD BE HAPPIER IF YOU WERE DEAD! SO...SO LEAVE! GO AWAY! GET LOST! STOP BEING A COLOSSAL CHUNK OF WORTHLESS GARBAGE, AND GET OUT OF MY LIFE!"

A ringing silence followed this.

Foxy was flabbergasted at what had just went down. How could Bon-Bon say all that? And why?

Puppet was dumbstruck and seemed unable to say anything.

Freddy looked scared and worried.

"Bon-Bon...how could you say that?" Foxy mumbled, his voice barely audible.

"...I could barely hear most of what he said, but...that was all so awful." Freddy moaned anxiously. "Foxy, did you understand it all."

Foxy grimaced. "I got the gist. I'm sure as hell not going to repeat everything he just told Puppet."

Puppet was backing away. He looked hurt by the words Bon-Bon had used. There was no confidence in his expression or demeanor, no counterattack against Bon-Bon, no complaints or whining about it, not even griping about how Bon-Bon needed to be shipped out of the place. He was just utterly speechless, his face saying everything about how he had felt. He turned and ran out the door before anyone could stop him.

"That's right! Run away, like you always do!" Bon-Bon yelled after him, still upset. "Come back when you stop being a lunkheaded piece of scrap!"

"Stop it, Bon-Bon!" Foxy exclaimed, scowling at the bunny hand-puppet. "This isn't a joke! What you're saying is seriously hurting Puppet!"

"This isn't a joke, Foxy! That disgrace of a puppet deserves all that he gets for how he's been to me!" Bon-Bon turned to the door. "And I'm not finished. Get back here, you standoffish dingbat!" Bon-Bon ran out the door himself.

"No, no, stop! Come back!" Foxy called. He had to stop Bon-Bon from causing more damage then what had already been done. He nodded to Freddy, and the two of them went after the two puppets.

Foxy was faster than Bon-Bon. He made it ahead of him and saw Puppet run into the boys' bathroom, probably to hide. The fox ran in himself and found one of the stalls closed and locked.

"Puppet, are you in there?" Foxy asked.

"...yeah." Came a low response.

"Is he here?" Freddy asked, coming into the room. Bon-Bon was coming behind him, looking around the room for Puppet.

"He's in that stall, isn't he?" The hand-puppet grunted. "Make him come out and face me."

"No! He's had enough." Foxy refused. "First, you need to explain why things got to the point where you said all that to him! And where did you even learn all those swear words?"

"During my time in the slammer. Plenty of opportunity to expand my vocabulary."

"The slammer? What do you mean?"

"Puppet, he...he trapped me somewhere while I was unprepared and locked me inside. It was cold and dark in there, and...and I was so miserable. I thought I'd be trapped there forever."

"It wasn't the toilet again, was it?" Freddy asked.

"No...worse..."

Foxy gritted his teeth and turned to the stall. "Puppet, what happened? Where did you trap Bon-Bon?"

"...a cupboard. In the kitchen." The marionette mumbled from the other side of the door.

"In the kitchen, of all places? That's where you were for the past few days, Bon-Bon?"

"...yes. I was stuck there for days. That's why you never saw me." The hand-puppet grumbled.

"Even so, it's not an excuse for everything you just said to Puppet. That tirade of insults is unacceptable." Foxy stated seriously. "You need to apologize to him."

"What's so bad about it all? It's what he had coming."

"Because they hurt feelings. For real." Freddy replied. "It's not like our games, where we playfully rag on each other. What you said was all real insults, words that can really and truly make us feel down."

"...that's not what she said."

"She?" Foxy stammered.

"My girlfriend. She taught me all those words. Said it wouldn't be too bad, but it would get the message across."

"You have a girlfriend?" Freddy said, looking blindsided by this information.

"Yes, I do. While I was in the cupboard, I found this hole in the wall, so I went through it. I was going down a pipe, and then I was down somewhere dark and metallic...that's where I met her. I talked to her for days on end, about everything...she was the only one who I thought listened to me. But I left her behind when I went back up the pipe to the cupboard. Dinah and Freddy opened the cupboard and let me out, and you know the rest."

"Either way, all those things you said aren't justified." Foxy continued.

"Yeah. You gotta say sorry." Freddy added.

"...no. I'm not going to be submissive this time. I'm standing my ground and standing by what I said. Everything I said was true."

"I don't...want to be here anymore." Puppet said from the stall. It came open, and Puppet came out. Without another word, he pushed past everyone else and left the bathroom.

"Puppet, wait! Don't leave yet!" Foxy called, and he ran after him again.

This time, he followed Puppet to the auditorium. The marionette had hid around the side of his box.

"Tch." Bon-Bon muttered as he came into the room, monikered by Freddy. "Running again. Guess he's a sensitive loser, too."

"Shut up!" Foxy yelled. "You should not be saying any of that! Puppet's our friend. He doesn't deserve to be called anything like you called him."

"...it's my deal, not yours. What are you going to do about it?"

"I could throw you back in the cupboard, if that'll get you to listen. Do you really want to go back in there for another few days?"

Bon-Bon's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare."

"Normally, I wouldn't- but you're forcing my hand. If I have to, then I will."

"I'm not going back in that dark place."

"Then apologize to Puppet. Now. You're not going to say all those things and get off scot-free."

Freddy came in between them and pushed them slightly apart. "Guys, please. Now you're both getting upset at each other. We should all take a breather and do this in a civilized, reasonable manner."

"Get out of the way, Freddy." Foxy muttered harshly. He didn't have time to calm down. Freddy, looking nervous, stepped aside.

"I won't apologize. He's not getting away with this again. Not again. Never again." Bon-Bon refused.

"I'm not saying his actions were acceptable, either." Foxy responded sternly. "He'll answer for them soon enough. But first, you're going to have to make up for what you did, because that's the bigger problem. Think of everything you said! Would you like me to say it all back to you?!"

The hand-puppet shrugged slowly. "Not really, but...I wouldn't care either way. I'll get over it."

"But you would, wouldn't you?"

"No."

"We'll see about that. Guys...sorry for what I'm about to do." Foxy took a breath. "Bon-Bon...you're a tiny, loudmouthed, jerk! You've been more annoying than anyone else here, and you just won't quit it! You're the most irritating person here!"

Bon-Bon froze. "..."

"So...did that hurt?"

"...did you mean any of it?"

Foxy paused. "...of course not. I did that to make you understand how Puppet felt when you did that to him. Do you even understand what swearing is?"

"Isn't it like a pinky promise?"

"One type is, but the type I'm talking about is when you say a word that's really offensive, especially when you're super angry or want to cause harm to someone else. This place was built for kids, and you should know that us animatronics have a no swearing rule. That includes when it causes harm to someone."

"I don't see the problem here. I wanted to cause harm to Puppet, to make him feel just as bad as I did."

"That doesn't make it right. You shouldn't have wanted to cause harm in the first place. You should've approached it in a civil manner. We would've been more than happy to help you do that."

"...hurting others isn't right. It never has been." Puppet mumbled from behind his box. "If Santa knew, you'd be on the naughty list. Then you wouldn't get anything you want for Christmas. Ballora's been telling me that."

"That is a good point." Freddy commented.

"I didn't care much about presents to begin with." Bon-Bon grumbled. "If I get one, it's a nice bonus. If I don't, then I don't care. It doesn't matter if I never get anything nice for Christmas again- as long as I get Puppet to feel just as bad as I felt under his treatment, then that's all the gift I need."

"Look, that's not the point. Puppet's our friend. He has been for a long time." Foxy said. "I know your relationship with him hasn't been the best. I know you and him fight all the time and disagree with each other and try to mess with each other. And I know that that's because you're both unhappy with each other. All because Puppet disliked you just based on how you looked, and all because you decided to fight him about it instead of coming to us and calmly asking for help. You're both in the wrong- but that doesn't mean that you're allowed to say unacceptable things to each other. We don't want tensions between you two to exist forever. So, please, I just want you to consider saying sorry, to consider Puppet's feelings and make an apology. If your relationship is too harsh to allow that, then at least promise not to say any of those things you said to Puppet ever again.

"And if that's not enough, what about the rest of your friendships? Think about how it makes us feel. Think about Gregory. What would he do if he saw you acting so aggressively towards Puppet?"

"...he wouldn't care." Bon-Bon countered stubbornly. "He was the one who taught me some of those words. He wrote them down in chicken scratch and I decided to use them."

"That's not true. He does care." Freddy argued. "He's been hanging out with me for the past few days, and I always read his chicken scratch. He's missed being with you. He wonders where you are everyday. And above all, he doesn't want you to do anything too bad. Could you imagine how his feelings would be hurt if he saw you swearing and insulting Puppet in such an overly negative way?"

Bon-Bon was frozen. "...are you sure that's what he said?"

"Positive."

"If what I said really would hurt him that way, then...I don't know. To be honest, I do appreciate all the times you guys have played games with me. That was all fun. But...but I can't say sorry. I can't apologize to Puppet after the way he's been to me for weeks and weeks and weeks...but...I guess I can promise not to say those words again. If it really does hurt other people, then...then I suppose it would be better never to say them."

Foxy nodded. "Thank you. Don't worry, you're not completely in the wrong." Foxy glared a little at Puppet. "Puppet, it is not okay to lock Bon-Bon in a cupboard. Regardless of how you feel about him, doing stuff like that isn't something I'll tolerate. You have to treat him fairly, even if you choose to hate him."

Puppet peeked out from behind his box. Then he walked over. "Yeah...I guess you're right about that. But Bon-Bon shouldn't be using those words again...ever."

"And I won't. I can promise that." The hand-puppet begrudgingly assured Puppet.

Meanwhile, Freddy ate some chicken he had on him. Foxy gave him an odd look.

"What? I was hungry." Freddy said. "I don't really like these high-pressure situations. Eating chicken helps with the nerves, y'know?"

"I agree. Comfort food always helps." Puppet agreed.

"Yeah...makes me miss Baby a bit. She was a good friend. Too bad she's always up in the vents, too busy with her games."

"Me too. Me too." Bon-Bon muttered.

"Make sure not to say any of the awful words around her, either." Foxy warned Bon-Bon. "She doesn't appreciate those very much."

"But how? I've listened to her play. She says all these different words."

"She's only playing around when she does those. She's never seriously trying to hurt somebody's feelings."

"So does that mean I can call Puppet a noob and it's fine?"

Foxy winced a bit. "Uh...I mean, if you're being playful about it like Baby does, then...sure. But don't say it seriously."

"I guess I can do that. But you can't make me believe that Baby hates swearing."

"She does, believe it or not. We had a guard come in one time, and when we started to chase him, he went at it. He had so many choice-y swears and tons of insults to throw. Baby was there with us, and when she heard all that, she was so sick and tired of it that she tackled the guard and ripped his tongue out. The mess that we had to clean up afterwards was considerable."

"Huh?!"

"I know, right? She likes you more than a stranger, so she wouldn't attack you, but...she would be disappointed, probably."

"Man...I'm so glad she wasn't here to see me do it. Hopefully she won't press me for an apology."

"You know...I still wish I had an apology. I don't need a full-blown one, but...a promise never to come into my room uninvited again would be enough." Puppet mentioned.

"No offense, but I don't think we can set it up that way. We'd have to micromanage Bon-Bon to get him to never go in there."

"What? Really? Dang it."

"Bon-Bon, just need to ask, which cupboard were you locked in?" Foxy asked the hand-puppet.

"I don't remember." Bon-Bon replied, shaking his head. "I just knew that I was in one of them."

"And you only got out because you got help, right?"

"Yeah. Dinah heard me making noises and Freddy opened it to find more cookies and chicken."

"I was just looking for the batter so Dinah could make me more. I didn't expect to find Bon-Bon in there." Freddy said.

"Dinah's willing to make everything, isn't he?" Puppet mentioned.

"Yeah. It's just pizza that gives him troubl-" Freddy paused. "Wait a minute. Puppet, you actually sound a lot better now. Are you...?"

"Cured? Yeah, the anti-virus finally deleted the virus today. I'm back to normal."

"Really? Nice!"

"Still, wish I could get an apology."

"I...I..." Bon-Bon stammered. "I...forgive you for locking me in the cupboard."

"Oh. Well, thank you. Can you follow that up by not coming into my room?"

"We'll see about that soon enough."

"Hmm. I do appreciate the forgiveness, though. Thanks."

"Um...you're welcome, I guess."

"So it did work out after all. Good enough for me." Foxy accepted. "I think we should all take a break and relax. Bon-Bon, want to hang out with me for a bit? My door's open."

"Sure." Bon-Bon accepted.

"Hey, Foxy, one more thing." Freddy spoke up. He went right over to Foxy, and something in his eyes changed. The bear leaned into Foxy's ear and whispered: "Have a lovely day...friend."

"What?" Foxy stammered.

"Freddy! Want to hang out with me? We can do some cool guy stuff." Puppet offered, putting a hand on Freddy's shoulder.

"Huh? Oh, well, of course!" Freddy accepted, breaking out of the trance again. "Let's go!" Puppet gestured Freddy to follow, and then both entered Puppet's box. Foxy nodded at Bon-Bon, and the two of them departed the room together.

"That settles that, then." Foxy said. "How do you feel, Bon-Bon?"

"Better." Bon-Bon replied. "I don't think I'm ready to apologize or forgive Puppet for everything else he did, but...I'm willing to let go of being locked in the cupboard. That's one thing I'll forget about."

"Thanks. You're already making progress towards a better relationship with Puppet. Don't you have a better opinion now?"

Bon-Bon sighed. "I guess I don't hate him as much anymore."

"Good enough. Let's go hang out at my cove. There's so much I want to talk about with you."

As Freddy and Puppet sat down at Puppet's couch to watch some tv, Puppet thought about today. His mind lingered on what Bon-Bon had said, and what had been the reason for it.

So that was how he felt. Puppet thought. I can't exactly tolerate him any better, but...you know...I think I'm beginning to understand that I was too harsh. Maybe I should've been lighter.

"What're you thinking about, Puppet?" Freddy asked.

"Nothing much." Puppet answered, trying to look normal. "Any good channels on?"

"I'm looking for one right now. I'll tell you if something catches my eye."

"Yeah. That'll work." Puppet laid his head back against the couch. "That'll work."

Later that day, Christmastime came. Ballora came out of her room and ushered everyone to get to the main room.

When Foxy arrived there, everyone had came. Freddy, Puppet, Bon-Bon, Reggie. Amazingly enough, Ballora had even managed to get Baby to come out of her room.

Then came the Christmas traditions. At long last, they started to exchange presents. Everyone got something. Ballora had acquired a fancy new tea set and a wide assortment of extra stuffed animals. Baby had been given a new headset, which she was thankful for. Bon-Bon had been given a drawing pad, which he was surprisingly into. Freddy had gotten a scratch and sniff book of different types of chicken (which he eagerly picked up and began to go through as soon as he saw it). Reggie had a picture of the queen, which he admired. And lastly, Foxy had gotten a keyboard that made different funny sounds. It was a fun present, and everyone laughed as Foxy cycled through the different crazy noises that the keyboard could make.

Once finished, the celebration began. Dinah had prepared a huge Christmas meal for them all, which they readily processed (and ate, in Reggie's case). Chatter was present among the group. Puppet and Bon-Bon reluctantly sat near each other and managed to go through it without setting either side off. Freddy continued to interact with his book. Baby seemed a little bit upset that she had been torn away from her games, but the conversations sort of improved her mood.

Then Ballora started a carol. She was the only one at first, but she managed to coerce everyone else into singing. It went rather well after that.

Everyone started to play around the room following this. But while the others danced and tried their hand at a board game they had gotten, Foxy had other things on his mind.

He stood up and walked to the kitchen. The others, assuming that he was going to get extra food, didn't question his action.

When he arrived, the kitchen was empty. Even Dinah wasn't inside, because he had joined in the celebration.

Foxy went over to a familiar chute and opened it up.

"Hey. Garbage."

The familiar voice answered.

"Oh. It's you. What is it?"

An object tumbled out of Foxy's hands and down the chute.

"Ouch! What's...wait...is this?"

"Yeah. Do you like it?"

"I can't believe it. You're actually letting me...?"

"Of course. I thought I'd give you one present this year, yeah?"

"...I...I can't thank you enough. How are you going to get this back and send it, though?"

"I'll send Bon-Bon down attached to a rope and he'll grab it. You just finish writing it in the meantime."

"Got it! I'm getting started right away."

Foxy nodded and began to stand up. He was happy with this. Their actions toward Garbage were one thing, but it had seemed fine to him to give Garbage something he could really appreciate.

That letter to his family would definitely make the guard feel better.

Now that he had done it, he was almost about to leave. However, one thing occurred to him, and he leaned back over to the chute one last time.

"Oh, and...Garbage?"

"Yeah?"

"Merry Christmas."

"...thanks. You too."