Mable: Hey! I want to thank everyone whose been so supportive about this update thing, but since I'm pressed for time, I won't dwell on it long. Just know that I really appreciate the kind words. It makes it easier to type as much as I do knowing that there are people who appreciate it out there. ^-^ Anyway, I hope you Enjoy!

Almost Feels Like Home

Chapter Thirty

A few days passed after the fiasco at El Chip's and the word was given that the commercial was going to air. As such, most of the staff had decided to meet at Mike and Marionette's to watch it together. Fritz and Natalie had drove Foxy over in the van while Jeremy drove himself over with the three Minireenas who had been performing in the restaurant. Tabby had decided not to come- to nobody's surprise. The commercial was airing at eight in the evening and Tabby tended to go straight home as soon as her shift was over. Though it was fortunate, considering how cramped the living room got.

Charlie had realized this before Mike had as she had planted herself in the armchair even before everyone else got there. She still seemed slightly quiet with all the people in the room, but didn't look too uncomfortable, and had even taken interest in the Minireenas, which distracted themselves climbing whatever they could. Jeremy, Natalie, and Fritz were on the couch, meaning that Mike had to sit in the other armchair, which didn't match the set and was largely more uncomfortable than the other one. Foxy and Marionette were left on the floor, to which Foxy absolutely refused to stop complaining about.

"Down here bein' treated like a lesser citizen," Foxy muttered as he tried to get comfortable on the carpet. "When it be me own restaurant and me on the commercial."

"If it's any consolation, Captain, you'll probably get a better view from down there. The couch isn't really comfortable anyways," Jeremy sympathized. He reached forward and affectionately rubbed Foxy's ear, to which the animatronic made a low humming noise. The rubbing was interrupted as the human tried to readjust himself. "It feels like there's a board or something underneath me."

"The couch started sinking, so I had to lay down a couple of pieces of cardboard under that and the middle pillow," Mike pointed out. He then looked away from the TV and over to him. "But if you think you'd have better luck in this chair, I'm willing to trade." Jeremy decided that the fact Mike was willing to trade was a good indication that the armchair probably wasn't any better. The security guard glanced at the clock. "How much longer? It's almost eight-fifteen and I've had my VCR recording for at least ten minutes now."

"It should be any minute. He said it would be airing right after the hour," Fritz explained. Though he then hesitated and muttered. "…Unless he meant seven and we missed it... It'll come on eventually. It's supposed to air more than once tonight."

"I was hoping that I wouldn't have to home all of you until six," Mike quipped back. "Especially that one," he pointed towards Foxy casually. "He gets twitchy after midnight."

"Foxy'll be gettin' twitchier a lot earlier iff'n he gets stuck sittin' down here much longer," the pirate remarked. He then shuddered as he felt Forget-Me-Not starting to climb his back. "Jer'my, they be on me again."

"Sorry." As Jeremy was trying to grab for Forget-Me-Not, maneuvering around Rose and Daisy who were sitting on his knees, a familiar voice spoke from the television.

"Yar, you be lookin' fer adventure on the seven seas?"

"Hey, its on!" Jeremy directed excitedly. Foxy's head also snapped forwards, but his was less out of alarm and more out of the shock of hearing his own voice. Especially when he hadn't recorded any audio for the commercial, which seemed like a massive point of concern. Alas, what came next wasn't much better. A flurry of blips and scenes were cut together in a strange splice of a commercial. Weird moments were set out of context and played back.

"Then shove off fer Foxy's Pirate Cove!" the Foxy voice announced as it cut to a scene of the pizzeria. Thankfully someone had managed to get footage when there were children there, so it didn't look completely empty. "We got games as faarr as the eye can see an' plenty o' treasure waitin' to be plundered!" The commercial briefly cut to a scene of Marionette coming out of his box but cut off him in a matter of seconds. "And if yer lookin' to fill yer gullet, our galley be servin' up the finest pizza, st-stuffed with cheese an' topped with goodies from land and sea!" It then cut to the scene they had recorded with Charlie's friends. The one with the smug Mike and the poor actors.

"Oh geez, Mike, you look like a child predator!" Fritz blurted out in a guffaw. "Could you have not smirked like a psycho?"

"That was the best thing I could manage to make it look like I wanted to be there," Mike quickly defended. "Hey, at least I don't look like I'm acting. I might look like a creeper, but I'm genuine. Not like that redheaded kid looking for an Emmy."

"That's Carlton," Charlie said with a slight sigh. She had a hand on her mask and was torn between amusement, soberness, and the desire to cringe. "…I can't even imagine how weird that had to be."

"So, come on down fer fun and games-!" It was in this horrible moment that it suddenly cut to Jeremy dancing in a scene that was absolutely not supposed to be on the commercial. Jeremy's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened in shock. He couldn't even say anything as it suddenly cut to Foxy singing on stage. "-And yers truly, Captain Foxy! And his merry band o' mates!" For two seconds it cut to Marionette spinning and then briefly showed the Minireenas dancing on their stage. The Minireenas all began to giggle and chirp excitedly, with Daisy even tapping Jeremy's leg and pointing at the screen happily. He was still staring in horror.

"We even do birthdays, so bring in yer lads and lasses fer a birthday adventure!" Hilariously enough, the video did not cut to a birthday party, but to a split second of Marionette staring silently at the camera from his box. Then it cut to a more appropriate scene of Foxy tending to some children wearing party hats and crowding around a party table. "Come be a part of Captain Foxy's pirate crew at Captain Foxy's Pirate Cove!" It finally ended on giving the address, phone number, and showing the outside of the pizzeria. "Foxy's Pirate Cove: the adventure's only starting!... Ya-."

The commercial ended abruptly and moved to the next one, leaving the room in a heavy silence. Everyone was sort of just stunned, unsure how to react to what they just watched, and nobody saying anything out loud. This was finally broken by Marionette slumping over. Within seconds he was trembling with light chimes and the quietest of giggles.

"Foxy!" Marionette blurted out. He sat upright and grabbed the other animatronic by the shoulder. Mike recognized that look, and it wasn't just amusement. It was also equal embarrassment. If the Puppet could've been blushing, he would've been. "Foxy, what have we created?! That was just as terrible as anything from Freddy's! It might've even been worse!" He was borderline hysterical, and Mike honestly couldn't tell whether in a good or bad way. Though they both noticed those two seconds of the Puppet staring at the camera dead on; no doubt immediately giving numerous unfortunate viewers nightmares.

But instead of reacting immediately, Foxy rose off the ground and stood in front of the couch. Marionette looked up at him with confusion in that strained smile. "Foxy?"

"I didn't do any recordin'. That wasn't me voice…" Foxy slowly led in with a visible twitch. Before anyone could ask, he spun towards the couch with accusation. "That be Ennard doin' my voice!"

"…Are you sure?" Natalie asked in confusion. "I mean, I haven't ever heard Ennard and I know he can copy voices, but that sounded a lot like you. Are you sure they aren't just old tapes?" She looked to Fritz. "Scott's the one with the tapes, right?"

"Yeah, and Scott was doing some of the editing… But, uh, he's also the one with Ennard." The technician could feel Foxy's intense stare. He rose his hands in defense. "But Scott wasn't the only one working on the commercial. He just did some of the tape fixing before it was sent into an editor. They probably just got someone who sounded like you." Though even this was a lot of guessing. While he recorded and helped manage the paperwork, Fritz hadn't had much influence on the commercial, nor was Mike. He looked to Mike for backup, but the security guard seemed to be zoned out.

"Anyone can tell that be Ennard! That 'ya', the weird way 'o talkin', the stutterin'- Tell 'em, Mari! That be Ennard!" Foxy insisted, looking to the Puppet.

Marionette gave a partial shrug. "Well-."

"It be him!" Foxy interrupted and looked back to the couch. "Ennard be crouching in on Foxy's-… Lad, what's wrong with ya?" He looked at Jeremy who was hunched over with his head in his hands. "This about the dancin'?"

"It was the only thing I didn't want anyone to see…" Jeremy's voice was muffled into his hands. The Minireenas seemed distressed by his upset, with Daisy hugging his head, Rose grabbing his hand, and Forget-Me-Not holding his leg and looking up at him. Chances were that they didn't understand why Jeremy was upset, but they still knew he was, and they began to give their discontent 'uh' noises. "Ugh, I'm going to be a laughingstock."

"Jere, it's not that bad. Nobody's going to think you actually dance like that. They're going to assume you did it for the camera," Mike pointed out matter-of-factly. "Worst case scenario: they think you're looking for a raise."

"At least you didn't look like you were scared of the camera. You seemed pretty relaxed, like it wasn't even there," Charlie rationalized. She then looked between the TV and him. "…Which, I'm guessing from your reaction to it being included, you didn't know it was there?"

"No. Thanks to Mike I didn't," Jeremy remarked, to which Mike rubbed the bridge of his nose. This had obviously not been the result he was looking for. It was one thing fooling around with Jeremy and another in humiliating him.

"I'm sorry, Jeremy. You better believe I wish I didn't take most of the shots I did, because whoever edited the commercial decided to take the ones we weren't supposed to use and throw out the good ones." He headed over to turn off the recording. "But to be completely honest, I don't think it was that bad." He knew even before he looked back that he was getting some looks of disbelief and pointed to the screen. "Comparing this to "Pizza is a bear's best friend" there's no comparison. This is cohesive, there's no singing, and as scary as Mari and I am, Foxy actually comes out looking less threatening then he did when I recorded him."

"Yeah…" Foxy agreed, briefly going quiet. He stood there for a few moments. "…Except that they got Ennard doin' me voice! Another animatronic doin' me voice! Crowding in on me own character!" It was as though he was just cut out of the equation. It was clear that this wasn't going away, so Fritz stood from the couch and headed towards the kitchen phone.

"Why don't I just call Scott and ask him? He'll be honest and if he knows it's not Ennard then we can just guess it's someone else. Or maybe even some old recordings," Fritz suggested as he got the phone. Foxy gave a scoffing sort of noise.

"Ya don't think Ennard can do tha Foxy voice? Course Ennard can do tha Foxy voice. He's got a Foxy in him." Before anyone could point out the logical difference between Foxy and Funtime Foxy, the flustered pirate decided to accentuate his point. "Ya think it be that hard to go in and out of character? It be a snap! 'Specially with Ennard bein' as much of an actor as he is." Then, all of a sudden, his voice completely changed. "It's not like it's that hard to put on a pirate accent. I do it every day, and I do it through another accent." It was so sudden that Jeremy's head snapped upwards. Just as quickly, Foxy was back in character. "And fer months we thought Ennard was a woman!"

Fritz started to dial Scott, though was now giving Foxy a weird look. The fox, apparently running out of steam, threw his arms upwards and sat back down on the floor. "An' it be so cheesy!"

"The commercial or the accent?" Mike asked. "Because yes."

"As cheesy as our freshly st-stuffed pizzas," Marionette quipped with a small, playful smile to ease the mood. Foxy turned to send him a weary look.

"Ya ain't helpin'. Neither of you." The pirate's hands dropped to his sides and his head dropped onto his knees. He gave a low groan, to which Jeremy reached out and patted his back sympathetically. "We all gonna look like a bunch o' suckers. This prob'ly be what Freddy felt like after that pizza dance started airin'." Marionette sympathetically wrapped an arm around his brother while patting his arm with his other hand. "Ugh, this better bring in kids…"

Foxy had no forewarning that this sentence was going to come back to haunt him.

Because within days of the commercial starting to circulate, business massively boomed beyond what they could've expected. It almost rivaled the opening after the Magictime incident. Parents were booking parties constantly or calling to ask which characters would be out at which times. The arcade was constantly thriving with children to the point that even the claw machine, which was barely won, started to run low on prizes and needed to be restocked. The Prize Corner was also constantly filled, but because Marionette had to be on the floor half of the time Mike and Jeremy would take turns manning the counter.

The children were slightly harder to keep an eye on. Carrying around slices of pizza and dropping cups of ice cream on the floor, swarming both Foxy and Marionette; they were a handful. Yet Foxy and Marionette loved it. As stressful as it was, they were being fawned on by dozens of children, and these were children who weren't afraid of them. Though the Minireenas weren't as thrilled about the rush of children. Especially not after one curious child grabbed for one of them, causing the three ballerinas to scatter and hide in the restaurant. It took Jeremy thirty minutes to find them after closing.

Thankfully, Marionette found the work worth it. Even Chrissy did well with the arrangement. She frequently came in and she was still shy around other children, but she was patient and timed checking in with Marionette once he was settled in the Prize Corner when no other children were nearby. More pictures of the two animatronics littered the walls, but the striped one made sure to still show Chrissy special care and kept hers pinned on the wall above his box. It was a proper balance and never at Freddy's had he felt so loved.

…But it came with a price. Unlike Foxy, who could put himself on his stage and rest, Marionette was constantly on the move. Even in the Prize Corner he had to constantly work and outside he had to always be on guard. He was singing more than ever as well, chiming in with Foxy, trilling and communicating with the children through wordless sounds until his internal music box was tight and protesting. Still, he pushed onwards. He adored their smiles, he reveled in their laughter, and he ignored his own feelings to get more of it, only stopping when Foxy would pull him aside and specifically tell him to cool down, which he did once.

The proof was in the profits though. It was worth it for the joy, but it was also bringing in enough money that they were starting to edge on enough for the renovation. As Christmas drew near, a few families had asked about booking Christmas-themed parties, which they did. Two one day, one another, singing and performing beyond the normal amount during the day. It was going well, but they needed more room, more arcade cabinets, a bigger kitchen, a second stage- they just needed to keep pushing and eventually they would make it.

And on Christmas Eve they were given a break.

"So, here's the deal," Mike began, pulling Foxy and Marionette aside after hours. "We've got a pretty big gig tomorrow that's going to pay really well, but it's going to be a killer and we might not all get out alive… Which isn't too different from our usual gigs, I'll admit, but this isn't something we can pass up," Mike reinforced. Him insisting this much already made it clear that it was of importance. "There's some sort of show or parade or something like that going down in the middle of town tomorrow and they want to hire. You'd go in, sing a few songs, and then- I swear to God- you'll make double what we made this week."

"Fer one show?!" Foxy choked in a gasp. "One show?!"

"Some genius decided to start throwing figures on the table before Fritz even gave them are going rate. We're pretty much robbing them. We really are pirates." Yet Mike was beaming the entire time, because with this boost along with what they already had made over the last weeks, he knew they would be able to start work on the renovation. "There's a few catches involved. We'd have to work on Christmas for one, and we can already assume that we're going to have a lot of eyes on us. I'd bet that Burke's going to be there and watching our every move."

"Who cares about him?" Foxy challenged back. "Bloody hell, fer that amount o' money, I put on a beard and start climbin' down chimneys every Christmas!" Foxy assured. Mike wasn't surprised at his enthusiasm and looked towards the Puppet.

"What about you, Mari? I know we wanted to stay in for our first Christmas with Charlie, but this might be a break we can't pass up. We're pretty much getting asked by the city itself to perform for one of the biggest… Whatever this is supposed to be," Mike pointed out. It already seemed too good to pass up and he doubted that the animatronic would. "What do you say?"

At first Marionette had been just as excited as Foxy was, but the longer Mike spoke the more that interest drained out. Instead he was struck by a slow growing dread as he thought of standing on a stage and performing in front of so many people of significance. These wouldn't just be children or fairgoers, they could be members of the police force, members of larger parents' groups, maybe even the mayor. Effective people who remembered Magictime Theater and Freddy's and were watching for any sort of slip up. Not to mention plenty of other people observing every moment.

He could feel his inner parts tightening in his chest. He could already tell that he would be fighting his reflex to go still and silent while on stage, but he knew he would be able to fight it. Even if it left him feeling unnatural. The truth was, Marionette knew that they couldn't turn down this offer. Turning it down could mean being labelled as unreliable by someone with more of a stance in the town than just a random child's parents. They needed the money for the renovation, they needed the good word of mouth, and thus the Puppet was stuck. He hid behind his usual smile.

"I think it's a great idea! We'll still have morning and evening with Charlie, won't we? I don't think it would bother her if we were gone for an hour. She does well when we're at work." He decided to think specifically of the Charlie aspect and hoped the other worries would go away on their own. Though thinking about it did make Marionette feel a little guilty. He would just have to make it up to Charlie either before or after the show itself.

So, the deal was made. Mike and Marionette headed home and had a rather uneventful Christmas Eve. The pressure of the show didn't put a damper on their festivities. The next morning was Christmas, which they got plenty of time to indulge in it. Compared to the heaviness of the years before, the gifts exchanged between Mike and Marionette were less emotionally charged. They stuck to things such as hand-picked video games and clothing- including an unholy, fluffy, wide-brimmed purple hat and candy cane leg warmers. The highlight gift was a beautiful snow globe with a built in music box that trilled out 'silent night'.

The entire time Charlie was there, as expected, watching with a warm joy and not expecting any gifts of her own. She was somewhat counting on it, as she hadn't had the means of giving a gift in return. Which would be gnawing at her, considering that she had been living with the two for months and felt like she needed to contribute. She just pushed it to the back of her mind, telling herself that they would exchange gifts next year without problem. Though then ignored the quickly passing wonder if she would still be living with them by next year.

That was, until Marionette exchanged a whisper with Mike and got a specific box out from underneath the tree. She didn't know whether she was filled with excitement or dread when she realized that it was a gift for her. There was a low bubbling excitement as Marionette offered the gift to her, wrapped in green wrapping paper with a shiny, red bow. She took it and for a moment just stared at it.

"I… I didn't expect you to get me anything." She looked up at him, then looked to Mike who had sat back down on the couch but was watching expectantly. "You two didn't have to do this."

"Are you kidding? We bribe all our friends," Mike exaggerated with a playful smile. "Or maybe you get special perks since you have to put up with living here." He was as relaxed as could be, but it was obvious that the Puppet was a bit less confident. It was surprising that he wasn't ringing his hand, but the human understood. Choosing the gift had been a painstaking process where they had gone back and forth in trying to decide. Even though the found what they wanted, he wasn't surprised that Marionette would still be worrying and second-guessing himself. He always did overthink Christmas.

"Go ahead," Marionette coaxed eagerly. So, Charlie did, carefully peeling off the wrapping paper and opening the box to find a smaller jewelry box inside. Inside was a sterling silver necklace with a bell pendant. To her relief, it wasn't an actual bell and wouldn't chime constantly when worn- she already jingled as much as it was. It was well made, and she had no doubt that it was real silver. "What do you think?" Marionette lightly coaxed, excitedly watching her open the gift.

"It's beautiful! You really didn't have to do this," Charlie insisted, as though a mantra, but was looking at the necklace with delight. Christmas had always been an odd holiday for her and gifts weren't usually a priority, so receiving something so nice was almost jarring. "But it's wonderful and I love it, it's be a nice change to wear a bell that doesn't ring!" Marionette trilled as she took the necklace out and started trying to put it on. She slightly struggled with the clasp and he was torn between offering to help or not, unsure whether he was stepping his boundaries or not.

Before Marionette could dare to offer and Charlie could dare to ask, Mike took the liberty of coming over. "Here, let me get it," he offered a little more directly. He tried to maneuver the clasp around and eventually got it to cooperate. "I hope you really do like it, because there's a chance this isn't coming back off," he muttered as he finished clipping it and stepped back. "How's it fit?"

"Perfectly! Thank you both, it really is-." Her voice was cut off by a jingling in her chest. It was as though it totally erased her voice for a few moments, but surprisingly she could care less. She was positively beaming and looked up, intending to thank the Puppet even through the bells, only to find that he was suddenly holding another present. She blinked- or it felt like she did but didn't- and looked up in confusion. "You got me another one?"

"I was just thinking that there weren't many of your things in the house…" He led in, glancing to the side briefly, thoughtfully. He then offered her the present excitedly. "So, we got you more things to make up for that!"

"Yeah, who doesn't love stuff? We practically filled our house with it," Mike quipped, leaning on the back of the armchair and smirking teasingly at Marionette, who made an eye rolling gesture.

"Better our stuff than someone else's," he answered and then started to hand the present to the other puppet. Then he hesitated and added in, looking to Mike, "And that includes the basement." He then handed it over to her. "Go on, open it!"

"I thought we were going to stop talking about our terrifying, nightmare-inducing basement during holy holidays. That was the whole point of banning any jokes on Easter," Mike remarked with a sly smile. Charlie began to open the second box while Marionette gave a wave of dismissal.

"Don't listen to him, Charlie. You just open your gift and I'll go get the rest," he encouraged before heading to the tree to gather a few more. Her head rose again.

"The rest…?" she asked in befuddlement. Mike leaned over the back of the chair to whisper to her.

"He's got a thing about giving gifts. I learned that you just roll with it and he'll eventually break out the cupcakes," he assured, watching the animatronic gather the gifts with a warmer smile. It really was endearing to see how excitable he was around Christmas. Mike could barely stand dragging him away from the tree to go out. It was only at that moment when he remembered the show and turned to check the grandfather clock. "I don't want to put a damper on this, but we have to leave here in about fifteen minutes, so maybe we should save some of this for later."

"Oh right… I completely forgot…" Marionette briefly got a distant look that Mike recognized. He didn't get a chance to call it out before Marionette managed to recover and look to the other puppet. "Just open that one and this one and we'll do the rest when we return!... I'm sorry we aren't getting all of Christmas together. It seems unfair to leave you here alone," he sympathized. Charlie snapped out of her thoughts and noticed his distress. She decided to take a page from Mike.

"No, I understand… So, you'll be at the assembly for an hour and then heading straight out of town?" Charlie playfully quipped to ease the mood. Marionette chimed in amusement and relief.

"Only if we really botch this performance, but if there's two things Foxy and I do really well it's singing in front of large crowds and capitalizing on the holidays," the Puppet pointed out, disguising any worry well. Charlie was only half hearing him and half scrambling to think of a gift in return that she could throw together before they got back. Easier thought than done.

It wasn't until they were in the car that the confident and unbothered façade started to fail. Marionette was unexpectedly silent as he laid in the back seat. His body felt tired and with his internal parts already stiffening once more he was truly feeling it. This would've been a rough day normally, so knowing what was coming only made it moderately worse. It had felt like an eternity since he had gotten a day off, and even the days off were usually designated to prep work or sometimes stolen by private parties. As much as he loved his job, he couldn't ignore his own body forever. It was all overwhelming.

His lack of enthusiasm was noticed by Mike as they made their way too Foxy's. He eventually decided to say something in hopes of coaxing it out. "You okay back there?" Mike asked. "You're not usually this quiet before a show. Especially not with a show this big. Something on your mind?" The Puppet was tapping his fingers on his own buttons, staring blankly at the roof of the car, when he recognized the question. He suddenly felt a little defensive. He wanted Mike to think that he was as effective and full of boundless energy as an entertainer was supposed to be.

"It's fine! I'm fine. It's just working on Christmas that has me down. As soon as I see all those smiling children I'll be back in the spirit of the season!" Marionette assured with a delighted chirp. His chest tightened a little, but he honestly believed it would all be better after they got home. Thankfully, Mike trusted Marionette's assurances.

They met up with the others at Foxy's before getting into the van and driving into the middle of town. To give Fritz and Natalie a break, along with an opportunity to share Christmas together, Jeremy went in Fritz's place and took his role as Foxy's attendant. This mostly compromised of trying to keep a set of fake, fabric deer antlers on Foxy's. This was easier said than done when Foxy had no interest in keeping them on. The only reason he didn't outright yank them off was because Jeremy had brought them for him to wear. As usual, his first mate was his number one soft spot, and unfortunately it had backed him into this.

Neither Marionette nor Foxy were feeling very much in the Christmas spirit when the van pulled into the designated parking lot. The nearby park had been set up with stalls and stands, along with a wooden stage decorated with crepe paper and rows of folding chairs set along the grass. Everything was Christmas themed and draped in white to replicate the snow that hadn't come. If anything, the weather felt rather warm considering the usual for the time of year. Though that was better for the animatronics who were expected to perform out in the open.

Marionette didn't get much of a look at whoever was currently performing on the stage when they passed. Naturally, he was stuck hanging from his pole and being wheeled along the short cut grass. A light twitch slipped past his control. Mike heard it clearly and glanced towards the Puppet only to see that empty smile as a literal and figurative mask. Something was definitely off; not that he could say anything when they were being watched- as they probably were since they were moving two animatronics through a crowded place. Even behind the stage wasn't much better.

There were two small tents set up behind the stage to shield the electronic equipment in case of poor weather. Almost as though they truly expected- or hoped- the snow would come. There was an uncomfortable silence as they stood there and waited to be called on, listening to the music playing through the flimsy wall at the back of the stage. It wasn't until the music stopped and one of the closer stagehands walked off that Marionette dared to speak.

"We should have painted your face," he simply said, addressing Mike. Of course, this wasn't what he wanted to say, but it was the only small talk he could think of. With his insides bothering him he needed something to calm his nerves.

Mike was the usual distraction. He looked like he was considering it for a moment before blowing it off. "Between that and the commercial, they'd have me practically under house arrest. Let's not tempt fate," he offered. This got a chiming chuckle of amusement and Marionette could slightly feel the tenseness easing from his chest.

"We stickin' with the plan?" Foxy asked. Marionette gave a silent nod. The pirate then turned to Jeremy. "We still goin' in fer four?" He must've meant songs. As did the Puppet, Jeremy nodded. "Great. We got this." As confident as he sounded, he looked like a deer in headlights when the stagehand returned to usher them on stage, and not just because of the antlers that he 'accidentally' knocked off while climbing the short steps.

There wasn't even a curtain, so they were watched even while being brought onto stage. Thankfully the audience had slightly changed slightly. The same people were there but it looked like a few more families, including children, had appeared as well. Marionette didn't know whether to be thrilled or frightened by the fact that they had drawn in a larger crowd. Perhaps there were even more coming who knew what time they would be starting the show and were coming over right now. Not to mention onlookers who watched as they passed by stands selling art and refreshments. His internal music box began to tick against his control.

Marionette couldn't understand why his body was reacting so extremely to what shouldn't have been too big of a deal. He could only hope that his music box didn't skip, as it had started to do recently with the higher demand for songs. He was just stressed, he assured himself, but after these songs he would be free to enjoy Christmas. He had performed on a large stage before. He could handle this; this body was built for this.

Alas, this time it would be without Mike. Possibly the worst thing to get replaced was his stand as it now stood on its own, meaning that Mike had no reason to be up there. Now he realized why he had thought of the face paint; without it, the security guard standing there would be out of place. He would be standing alone in front of the sizable audience, performing when he was already exhausted, all while having to stay perfectly collected.

"I'll be right off the stage, alright? Anything happens, and I'll be right here," Mike whispered as he finished adjusting the stand- stalling for time- and then went to leave. He briefly squeezed Marionette's hand comfortingly, which would go unnoticed by anyone except the Puppet himself. Yet even that touch was gone too soon and now he and Foxy were left to perform. He recovered and the show began.

"Yar, welcome to the show!" Foxy greeted the audience with usual enthusiasm. "Er maybe it should be the lot of ya welcomin' us. It be ages since we last got off the ship and stretched our land legs!" He looked around as though scanning the area. "An' it looks like there be plenty o' treasure to plunder…"

"Foxy, you're not actually going to steal from these nice people, are you?" Marionette chimed in, following with his routine. Once lost in the character it started to get easier. Foxy twitched in a nervous fashion.

"What? Foxy? Never! Nah, I didn't say plunder. I said… Plunger! Aye, that be it!" Foxy denied quickly. There was a long pause.

"We're going to need a plunger to find a punchline for this joke," Marionette responded. This got some laughter from the audience.

"Don't be sassin' yer Captain, First Mate Mari! It be Christmas! Time to share joy and love, and to put gifts under the tree, right where someone could climb down a chimney and grab 'em!" He made a swiping motion with his hook.

"Foxy, please, no more chimneys. Last year it took two pounds of butter to slick you up, thirteen elves to pull you out, and a plunger to find your dignity after," Marionette pointed out as he crossed his arms in scolding. He then splayed them in surprise. "Oh, there's the punchline! I was wondering when it would show up!" More laughter, Foxy looked pleased, and the Puppet was already feeling leagues better.

"What I meant was that we should be celebratin' the season! We never get to do any of them Christmas shanties we got put away- Ya see, folks, pirates don't really get Christmas on their ships… But iff'n yer lookin' to know why, lemme tell ya 'bout what it's like to have a "Christmas on Deck"!" With that semi-subtle cue, Foxy paused a few seconds as Jeremy turned on the music behind the scenes. He then immediately broke into song. "When ya live as a pirate out on the sea, ya don't get no snow and there ain't no chilled breeze.~"

The song was a basic duet, with Foxy singing most of the song and Marionette only joining in on the chorus. The song wasn't too overly difficult and seemed like it was all going fine, until they neared the final verse. "Come on down to our ship, Dear Captain Santa Claus, and hand over yer gifts or we'll steal 'em all! Put us on the nice list and we give 'em thanks, put us on the naughty and someone be walkin' the plank!~" All Marionette had to do was follow Foxy's lead, flair the end with some chiming, spin in place, and then let the song end. That was all.

Yet it was in that moment of chiming that the tightness returned. It was a crushing pulse deep inside. He suddenly felt like he was in some sort of danger and it was all the Puppet could do to keep from going still. He spun and went silent and, thankfully, the pressure started to slowly release as Foxy went into a brief spiel before venturing into his solo. The song wasn't a long one, but the ending of it would signal the start of Marionette's own and he wasn't sure how he would handle it. As much as he tried to tell himself that it was all in his head, all nerves, something felt off in his center.

Something felt sore under his buttons, and yet he only realized this moments before his solo was to start. Foxy had stopped singing and looked to him attentively. "Now don't that get ya in the Christmas spirit! Yar, First Mate Mari, ye be lookin' a little sad. Maybe it just be the facepaint," he led in. Marionette could only wonder if he brother could tell something was off. From the look in his gaze alone he seemed to not suspect anything, which was good. That meant the audience probably didn't notice either.

"No, I was just thinking about how Christmas isn't just about the holiday itself, but family and loved ones… It's easy to get lost when you're swept out to sea." That was the cue to begin. The song was simple, the music was quiet, and the only challenge would be singing at the same time as chiming. Which wouldn't have been a problem if he wasn't feeling every beginning chime like the prick of a needle deep inside. Usually it was as faint as feeling one's own heartbeat which was a sign that something was certainly wrong. He just had to focus on the soft music beginning to play over the speakers.

Forcing himself to relax, he began to sing. "Every Christmas is a gift. Every moment I feel this is a present wrapped up tight,~" Marionette trilled softly.

Off the side of the stage, Mike was watching carefully. He had thought he noticed something peculiar earlier, but now it seemed like all was well and the Puppet was singing like normal. His voice was ethereal, especially when backed by the chimes of the music box, especially when it was a song he had never performed for Mike before. It gave him chills; considering the lack of snow, he could only blame the pleasant tingling on the singing.

"I feel like an iceberg adrift at sea, waiting for you to come find me. It feels like I've been waiting forever,~" the Puppet continued with a slow spin. He then rested his hand over his buttons for show, ignoring the peculiar tapping he could feel through his fabric. "And the fire won't warm my heart as long as we're apart. I'll stay cold until we're together.~" With the song eventually winding down, Marionette put aside his concerns. He could tell that he was doing fine; no skips, no stutters, and only light discomfort. He was doing this, and if the audience's attention was any indication, he was doing this well.

"I'll wait beside the Christmas tree for you to come home to me. It doesn't matter how many gifts I see, because as long as you're not here it's not Christmas to me.~" Marionette came to a close slowly, trailing off in chimes and leaving the stage open again for the banter segment between songs. He was relieved when the pressure in his chest started to loosen. Only one more song and it would be over; he needed to enjoy it while he could.

"Ya got a point there, Lad. This be the time o' year fer families and friends, captains and their crew, to come together. It ain't just about presents, cause there ain't nothin' sadder than openin' a bunch of stolen presents alone," Foxy pointed out. He then pointed upwards triumphantly. "But yer captain's got one last shanty to bring us all back to high spirits!"

The music started once more and sounded much more typical to the usual pirate tune, backed with accordion music. "Come on down, me Hearties, fer Christmas day's here! It be the day of celebratin' we waited fer all year!~"

"So, raise your voice and sing a cheer, for Christmas day is once a year!~" Marionette joined in. His chiming also joined in and he fought the urge to wince at the tightening that quickly returned. It was as though springs were slowly collapsing in his chest, even though he knew that there weren't any inside of him. Due to the song's lack of a holiday feel he had to use his chiming to assist, meaning that he wasn't in a position to back off. Assuring himself that it was just weariness, he kept his movements minimal, and continued singing alongside Foxy. "Don't let it slip away to fear! Celebrate, for Christmas is here!~"

He fought the urge to lightly wince as each trill seemed to close in further. Foxy continued to sing on, not noticing anything was amiss. "And even if we're gettin' coal ya ain't gonna see us frown! We're pirates, lads, we don't get sad, so come aboard and come on down!~" He chuckled for show but was looking to get more into the spirit of it. "An' if we steal a gift or two, what's ol' Saint Nick gonna do? It's a pirate's life, so don't ya strife. Just join in with our crew!" Once again, he went to pass it on to Marionette.

"Christmas time's a time for play, and you're welcome home if you want to stay.~" Marionette's fingers started to tighten as the ache grew more intense. "When you're out at sea, live the pirate's way…~"

"And if ya don't yer better off walkin' the plank!~" Foxy laughed again, this time a little more exaggerated. He glanced in the Puppet's direction. Apparently, he was starting to notice something was off. "But ya ain't gonna find no gifts under the sea, and I can't say we're gonna find us a tree, but if you still wanna spend Christmas with me-!~"

The Puppet prepared his line, splayed his arms, forced himself to straighten, and then-

Crack!

Marionette didn't know what hit him first, the fear that someone heard the noise that came from his chest or the sudden surge of pain that centered underneath his buttons. It was bad enough that his body immediately froze up under the strain. For a moment he was stunned where he couldn't react. Foxy must've noticed that Marionette had missed his mark, but he continued singing with the music, with the missing chiming being the only obvious change as the show continued.

Trying to play it off and hoping it was nothing, the Puppet tried to again use his music box to 'sing' once again. He was rewarded with a scraping noise and a sensation that he could only assume felt like being impaled through the core.

Something had broken. He was broken.

Then came the fear and the panic. Something inside of him, which he could neither see nor fix on his own, had been damaged in a way that had never happened before. Realizing that he was still in front of an audience, Marionette kept himself together as well as he could. He was still able to project his voice and forced himself to join back in with Foxy on the final verse, as though playing it off as Foxy having a solo. The dull stinging was always there even when he wasn't using the music box in his chest, signaling that whatever had happened wasn't going away on its own.

As soon as the song was over, Foxy turned towards his partner with a tilt of his head. "Ya okay there, Mari? Yer lookin' a little pale!" He couldn't remember if this was part of the show or improv that Foxy decided to slip in. He was quick to answer.

"I'm melting. Next Christmas let's go to Alaska," Marionette played along, mockingly wiping off his forehead. Even this simple motion was causing pain. He was able to disguise it a little better. "I think we're running out of time, Captain."

"Aye, our ship be shoving off soon. Guess this means it's the end of the show." Foxy waved to the audience and Marionette mimicked it stiffly. "Merry Christmas, ya Landlubbers! I'll be seein' ya on the seven seas!" He must've known something was wrong by how quickly he ended the show. While the audience was still clapping, Mike came onto the stage to wheel the Puppet off. Foxy followed them without even waiting for Jeremy to pretend to come up and steer him.

It was only when they were down beside the stage, somewhat secluded from the audience's line of sight, that Marionette was almost blindsided by Foxy, who caught his pole by the hook. "What in bloody blue was that poppin' noise back there, Lad? Sounded like ya had a mini explosion!"

"That was you? I thought that was the mic popping," Mike said in surprise. He looked towards the striped animatronic, who had aimed his mask and gaze down at the grass. It was clear that something was wrong. "Mari, what happened?" That defensiveness returned, along with the mortification of having just broken himself while doing something that he should've been able to do easily. To both Mike and Foxy's surprise, Marionette was immediately dismissive.

"…It's fine. I'll be fine. Let's just get to the van." They didn't even make an attempt to move. He looked between them before insisting, "We can't talk here anyway. Let's just, please, let's go." He could feel the tightening return, though this time it was much more painful, and low static began to form in his chest even without his control. Mike and Foxy exchanged a doubtful look and only went along with it because he was right. As soon as Jeremy got their pay they headed back to the van.

Both Mike and Foxy had a bad feeling that this wasn't the end of it.

Mable: The next chapter will next year!... You know, because January 1st? Hah, poor New Year's joke, I know. XD Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and thank you so much for reading!