Mable: Apologies for this post being a day late. You might know, but I recently posted a FNAF fic called "Skin Deep" and it was just enough of a squeeze that I didn't wrap up the chapter in time. But I did get it finished as you can see! And Skin Deep is there if you'd like to read it, but it's completely unconnected to this story so you don't have to. ^-^ Anyway, Enjoy!
Almost Feels Like Home
Chapter Eighty-Six
Mike came to in a familiar forest and found himself walking in the direction of an equally familiar clearing.
"Oh good, I could always use more unsolicited advice," he thought as he continued his steady approach. The grass crunched under his shoes and the air was still around him; everything felt comfortable and safe. "Have I seen him since the hurricane? Since Mari and I were talking about him? Wonder if he saw that. Maybe that's why he's been laying low."
A distant sound akin to a squeak caught his attention and he looked back. "What was that?" It almost sounded like the squeak of Freddy's nose and he stared into the trees.
There was nothing there. Just an endless tree line.
"Nothing." Mike turned back only to find that he was suddenly on the edge of the clearing. "…Alright, that's weird. Note to self: watch where you walk." With that, he stepped out and approached the pond.
Old Man Consequences sat on the edge of the pond with his line in the water and his back hunched over. He was slowly reeling at it and stared deeply past the red depths as though watching something. When Mike looked, he couldn't see anything except the line disappearing deep into the abyss below. He decided to break the silence.
"So, what do you think we should do? I know you've probably been watching and know all about Hickory's," Mike asked. He sat down in the grass alongside the man.
"That's one way to greet an old friend," Old Man Consequences remarked. He sounded amused but also a bit distant, seemingly entranced by the pond.
"I just assumed you'd have an opinion since you dragged me in here the same night, I've got to make this decision. A little too coincidental," Mike pointed out. He looked in the water. "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing that should concern you," the red man replied. Then he finally drug his gaze from the pond and turned towards Mike. "I haven't seen Hickory's. Tell me about it. Is it a competitor for Foxy's?"
"Not even close. Just another business that got the Afton touch of death," Mike quipped. Old Man Consequences gave an echoing laugh at the comment. "They stuck in a rut of having broken down animatronics that run rampant at night. Last time Mari and I stepped in and stopped it. This time the woman who works there- or something like that- she asked me to come back and do it again. I don't see me helping them or not helping them affecting Foxy's… Unless we get caught and it gets back to Burke."
"I wouldn't worry so much. You have more control than you realize, Mike," Old Man Consequences suggested. "You said yourself that it doesn't change Pirate's Cove. The only one it would change is you."
"I mean, it might help out the workers," Mike vaguely offered.
"Perhaps, but you won't see the benefits of that. It is, primarily, for you and Marionette's own comfort. There's nothing wrong with helping yourself sleep easier by helping another," the red man explained. "Those animatronics may not be capable of understanding what you're doing for them, but does it matter if you are, in the long run, doing what's best for them?"
"I don't know," Mike admitted. He saw red out the corner of his eye and looked over to see a red hand reaching for him. He flinched back. "What are you doing?"
"It's alright, Mike," the red man quietly rumbled. Then he laid his hand on his shoulder. There was no reaction, no sudden pull or indication that he had done anything, though the weight felt odd and fuzzy. A little too warm too in contrast to the tepid feeling of the world around them. That feeling of being on edge melted away quickly. "See? I wouldn't hurt you."
"You heard what we said. You were listening," Mike pointed out. Slightly suspicious and slightly disturbed, but quickly losing those feelings.
"I hear a lot of things, but it's easier to draw my attention when you're talking about me. When you say my name," Old Man Consequences explained as he removed his hand. "I don't blame you for being hesitant to trust me. We all know about the gold bear." He turned back to the water and Mike considered asking about if he knew Golden Freddy, but he couldn't get the question out fast enough. "You worry too much. It's not good for your blood pressure."
"But running around a blood pond with a crocodile is?" Mike asked. To which, once again, Old Man Consequences gave another chuckle. It was odd sounding but comforting to hear him in a good mood, and Mike smiled a bit. "I bet you've been having the time of your life watching my house get overrun."
"Yes, yes I have. I always make time for that. It may be the only time I see you with children of your own," he said with a lower chuckle. "We're running out of time, Son. Ask the Marionette about Hickory's. Go with what he says," Old Man Consequences offered.
Just like that Mike woke to the alarm clock. He shut it off and turned over to look at Marionette. The puppet's eyes were barely open showing that he was slowly waking up. He leaned down and kissed his forehead.
"Morning." Marionette warbled in response and pressed back again him. Mike smiled a little, "Rise and shine, we've got another long day on the dayshift waiting for us." The puppet slid in further, tucking his head under Mike's and taking in the warmth. Mike didn't ask yet to not ruin the moment of quietness.
It wasn't until he was forced to get up and get dressed by his secondary alarm that he decided to bring up the first of two elephants in the room. "Old Man Consequences showed up last night," he said, ripping off the band-aid in one swift motion. "We shot the breeze a while and he didn't give me any real answers, but he did manage to get his hand on me."
"What?" Marionette asked in alarm.
"Apparently he heard us talking about him and wanted to prove that he was safe… Which means he probably is listening to everything we're saying right now too," Mike realized. He paused a moment and then shrugged. "I asked him what he thought about Hickory's and he said to let you decide. Which either means that he has a high opinion of your opinion or he just dodged the question again. But even if he didn't say that, I would've had you make the call. I trust your judgement better than mine."
That didn't ease Marionette's mind much. He was still wary of Old Man Consequences, and even if this was an attempt at an olive branch, he couldn't be certain that it was also a means to lower his guard.
"So…" Mike began, bringing the puppet out of his thoughts. "What do you think?"
It took the animatronic a long time to respond. He lingered there with his arms crossed and his gaze locked on the bedroom door. Mike continued getting dressed while he waited patiently for his answer.
"I think…" Marionette tentatively began. He gave a huff of static, frustrated with his own indecision- and the inability to do anything about the lingering, red presence. "I think… I think it's a bad idea."
"Then we won't go," Mike offered.
"But," he countered instantly. "But… There are some things we haven't been considering. We've been looking at the risk of us getting caught and Foxy's going under versus the welfare of the animatronics and the employees there, but the fact of the matter is that our pizzeria is in jeopardy either way. If there was an accident with an animatronic that went public, then it would reflect badly on us. That, added with the possible… Conditions of the animatronics and the risk they pose is more than enough reason to get involved."
"So, we just can't get caught. I think we can handle that."
"It's more than that, I think… I think we should go, together, and see if we can help." Marionette spun towards Mike. "But we can't treat this like Chipper's or Magictime. Even if they attack us, even if they corner us, we can't fight back and risk damaging them. Or even break anything in the building. We don't have Chance there to cover up for us if we got too rowdy. For once, let's keep a low profile." Even he sounded doubtful of this plan. "Can we do that?"
"I think we can manage that. At the first sign of trouble we split and wash our hands of it," Mike agreed. He then took a more serious tone, "So we're mostly checking in to make sure the animatronics aren't lashing out because they're in pain, and if they're not we let it lie."
"Right," Marionette agreed. He was still hesitant, knowing that this would be risking a lot. "Maybe wait until after work to call her? We might change our minds."
Mike agreed even though he had a suspicion that neither of them would do so. He finished putting on his shoes before going over to open the bedroom door.
He found himself face to face with Foxy.
"He ain't goin' in," Foxy boldly announced. Mike was about to point out that Marionette's plan was rational and that they would be safe when he was cut off. "Jer'my. He be tossin' all night. Wanderin' 'round at the crack o' dawn and coughin' up half a lung. He ain't comin' into work with us." Mike made a sympathetic hissing noise, realizing what the fox meant. Foxy then sounded a little more disgruntled, "I'd like ta know how he got this bad when ya were doin' fine with it 'bout a week ago."
"Might've just hit him harder. I don't know, I was passed out most of the time," Mike retorted. He slipped by the fox. "Let me go get him some of that cough syrup. It might help break some of that up."
As he headed down the hall, Marionette floated over to Foxy. Apparently, he didn't do a good job in disguising his worry as the fox caught on to it. "What's wrong, Lad? Ya ain't lookin' right."
"It's nothing, Foxy. Just… Worrying about some things. Nothing unusual," Marionette said as he turned away. Foxy looked primed to pry for more answers. "We should get ready. We could be looking at another long day today if we're lucky," the puppet added with a smile. Then he breezed past and headed to knock on Charlie's door, proceeding with the morning like there wasn't trouble looming over them.
The day went largely uneventfully. Still more busy than usual but not to the degree the last few days had been, which was both a relief and a disappointment depending on how one looked at it. It unfortunately gave them ample time to mull over their choice about Hickory's, but neither changed their mind. It almost made Mike feel ashamed knowing that he was getting more out of this than he should of. The only reason Marionette was going was to protect everyone involved; Mike's main reason was more a mix of curiosity and self-fulfillment.
The day came to an end without much issue or notable moments. Foxy decided to come home with them again. Fritz didn't mind driving him back since he was just as worried about Jeremy as the everyone else was. Which was reasonable, considering that when they got home they still found Jeremy red faced and coughing, and yet still up and about tending to his needy dolls. After seeing which, Mike and Fritz exchanged a look, flipped a coin, and then Fritz dragged Jeremy out of the house and to the walk-in clinic.
Foxy took charge in trying to reign the small animatronics in. They were still as disinterested in him as ever- save Balloon Boy and the Minireena trio- but it did keep their minds somewhat off their missing caretaker. Marionette decided to help, going into his bedroom and looking through the boardgames tucked under the bed. As much as he loved the Freddy boardgame, they would need something he could stretch to fit more players. Easier said than done but hopefully doable.
Mike came up to the bedroom door while he was knelt by the bed. "Hey," he began. The puppet looked up to him. "I'm going to go tell Jennifer that we'll do it. Or that I'll do it."
"Alright," Marionette agreed. His answer was stiff, and his tensed body posture reflected that. It wasn't too convincing, and Mike was hesitant to accept it.
"Are you sure?" he asked. The puppet nodded. "Okay then… I'll be back in a few minutes." He headed down the hall towards the bedroom so he could get some privacy. Marionette considered following him but then decided that he didn't want to. He would know what she would say soon enough. After all, the important thing was what they were saying, and that was already decided.
It always startled Marionette to learn about another sentient animatronic. For a while it had seemed like there were only a few- the lot consisting of those nearly burned at the false pizzeria- and at the time it had been a relief to think that he wasn't alone. There wasn't many of them, but they had formed some sense of community, and that helped them regain their long-lost humanity. Except that now more were appearing. More than they even had performing at Freddy's, ones unconnected to the missing children incident.
But in a way that would make sense. He always thought the only ones were the ones he and Golden Freddy brought around, but special cases showed that animatronics could become haunted from close contact with a dying person. Meaning accidents could easily trigger the same phenomenon. Then there were the murders William committed that he didn't know about, as he doubted he knew about them all if he couldn't even account for everyone he knew his father murdered. Plus there were all those other Freddy's locations that shut down for numerous reasons.
In a matter of a few seconds, Marionette suddenly realized exactly how many more human souls could be tied to animatronic bodies. Performing in restaurants and arcades, stuck in warehouses and the corners of old storage rooms, covered in sheets and caked in dust, laying out in the elements or in abandoned alleyways crumbling apart and rusting away…
"Alright, we're on for tomorrow night. We'll head up there after work, get there sometime after dark, and probably be back in the morning," Mike said as he returned to the bedroom door. He then cut off before he could continue, looking at Marionette with a slight squint. He could hear a faint, familiar noise coming from him. "You're ticking," he said.
Marionette hadn't noticed it until now, but he was ticking in nervousness. He couldn't suppress it fast enough, so he did the only thing he could think of, "No I'm not."
"Mari, come on. I can hear it," Mike said flatly. His voice then softened up with concern. "What is it, Stripes? You know we can talk about it-."
"Twister?" Marionette offered as he pulled out and showed him the box.
"Guess that's a no." Mike exhaled at the other's deflection before squinting at the game box. "Looks like this is about to be a no too." Except then he remembered Foxy was home, and trying to play the role of active babysitter, and a slow smirk started to slide across his face. "If you think that you can get Foxy to play that… Then I'm game. Sure."
"Foxy is proud and protective of his image, Mike," the puppet said as he rose from the floor. By time he looked up again, he had his own smirk. "But he doesn't back down from a challenge."
"You get him riled up and I'll get the camera," Mike suggested. Satisfied with the answer, Marionette stacked a few more game boxes and carried them to the door, regaining his smile. Mike put an arm around him and tried to silently assure him. It looked like it was helping, but he could still hear the faint ticking.
Marionette seemed determined to ignore it. It wasn't too hard to once they succeeded in getting Foxy on the mat. Though even that took Mike volunteering a, "I bet twenty bucks Foxy goes down in three spins."
Foxy promptly gave a, "I be takin' that bet!" and then forced himself to do so, regardless if his body was made to do so or not. Hilariously, Jeremy walked in right in the middle of this and caught him in the act. Leading to him breaking into snickers, which still didn't stop the stubborn pirate.
Jeremy got a predictable bill of health. The doctor had said that he couldn't tell what it was but guessed it was a bad cold or flu, suggested a round of over the counter treatments, and sent him home without much else to say. It seemed like a step in the right direction, confirming that it wasn't anything worse. That allowed the rest of the evening to take a lighter tone without worrying as much about him.
So many things seemed to be going fine now, yet the ticking quietly continued.
Maybe it was because of what was coming that night, but the workday preceding it seemed to skyrocket past. Even with the still healthy amount of kids and adults- and including an incident where a kid's jacket got stuck in one of the riding rockets- it all seemed to move much too quickly. It seemed like the clock was ticking as fast as the puppet was, counting down to the moment of truth.
They stayed late enough at the pizzeria that by time they leaving it almost seemed late enough for them to leave. Unfortunately for them, while Jeremy had gotten a somewhat reassuring diagnoses from the doctor, he hadn't been able to come into work again. Largely at Foxy's insistence. So, this meant that Mike couldn't just call when they were on the road and drop the news quickly and without discussion.
Charlie was the first one to notice that Marionette hadn't come inside the house, even before Mike had. "Where's Mari? Is he still out in the car?" she asked. It didn't take Mike long to realize what was going on.
"I should've known something was up when he said 'break it to them easy'," he lamented. On second thought maybe this was better. Maybe he could get it out and detach himself quicker on his own. "He is… Since we're about to take off for Hickory's. We should be back by morning."
If he thought that quick explanation would go over Jeremy's head, it didn't. Sick or not he heard it and reacted quickly. "What? You're really going to go down there?! Again?!"
"We don't have much of a choice. Someone gets maimed over there and it's going to look bad on us. People aren't going to see two separate establishments; they're going to see crazed animatronic and avoid them all like the plague. I've kind of got my hands tied here," Mike defended.
"But that's- that's only like one of the reasons you might need to go. And didn't she say they weren't doing much?! There's cops, and you're breaking and entering, and that's going to look a lot worse for us on the news than a… Oversized mouse threw a trashcan at someone!" Jeremy rambled. Mike was surprised at how defensive he was acting about it. He had never seemed that fired up about Hickory's. Jeremy must've realized how he sounded because he suddenly reeled himself in. "I just don't want you two to get hurt."
"We've got it under control. This isn't some big excursion into cracking open the secrets of the arcade. This isn't a Magictime Theater thing, or even a weekend at El Chip's thing. This is pretty much a drive through night shift; any sign of trouble and we're getting back in the car and leaving," Mike reassured him. Then he looked to Charlie, who was much less concerned. Or more likely was expecting them to go. "Think you two can handle all of these guys alone?"
"I'm sorry to break it to you, Mike. But they don't act up as much when you're not here," Charlie said with light playfulness. "But we'll be okay. Don't worry about us. Focus on just not getting caught."
"That's the plan," Mike agreed as he headed back to the door. "Should be back by morning. Probably before anyone gets up. So, check the bedroom before anyone starts calling." With a few nods of agreement, a 'be careful' from Charlie, and an uncomfortable look from Jeremy, Mike headed out and go back in the car. As he got into the driver's seat, he noticed Marionette peeking out from underneath the blanket in the backseat through the rearview mirror. "Thanks for backing me up in there."
"You know I was with you in spirit," Marionette chimed back. He propped his head up with one arm and tried to keep the lighthearted tone going. "You know, if we're still looking at staying until five-twenty then maybe once we leave we should find a motel. It might be fun!"
"Since when did staying in a motel become fun?" Mike asked with amusement.
"It's an adventure! Really any time we're out of the house is, isn't it?" The puppet gave another mix between a chuckle and a chime. "What are the chances that we go in there and find animatronics who are not alive, just programmed badly and running amuck at night, knocking things over? That could very much be a possibility!"
"I hope that's all it is," Mike admitted.
"Me too…" Marionette's voice fell. In only a second the tone changed again, and after that Mike could hear the ticking again. It was the only noise Marionette made that put him on edge.
"…Yeah, you know what? We deserve a full night out," Mike spoke up. "We'll probably be early anyways. We'll stop and get a hotel room and then once we're out of there we'll have a place to go. At least we'll get a couple of hours of TV without Max dictating the remote or a bunch of kids running around in front of it."
This perked the puppet up considerably and once they were on the road he slipped into the passenger's seat, bringing the blanket with him and bundling it around himself until only his mask peeked out.
"That's adorable," Mike thought as he smiled at his companion. "Maybe getting out of the house together is what we need. Just need to stop worrying and enjoy the moment. It's not our first rodeo."
Somehow the mood turned back around at that point. The drive was still long, but it had been a while since they had time alone and Marionette was in a talkative mood. Which was great because when he was talking he wasn't ticking, and when Mike was listening to Marionette he wasn't listening to his inner thoughts. It was a win-win.
They had arrived at Hickory's much earlier than anticipated so Mike went ahead and drove on until he found what wasn't quite a town but looked to be more than a rest stop. He chose a motel on the highway and paid for a room, requesting one further in the back. He parked outside of their designated room before getting out and circling to the passenger's side door, gathering up the puppet and as much of the blanket as he could into a bundle, and toting him inside.
The motel room itself was nothing special. Just about the same as any other they had stayed in, but there was always the slight thrill from risking getting caught. That alone made it more exciting than what it really was; sitting on a bed and killing time watching tv. Not exactly the thrill that Mike subconsciously drove all this way for.
This lasted until eleven-thirty when they drove back to Hickory's. Mike noticed a car in the parking lot that wasn't there when they drove by earlier, and he parked alongside the building before getting out and walking over to it. As he approached the car door opened and out stepped a woman who he assumed was Jennifer. She was about what he expected; around his age or maybe a little older, bobbed brunette hair, and an incredibly anxious look.
"Well, well. It was about time we met each other in person. Jennifer, right?" Mike asked as he offered his hand. She eagerly took and shook it.
"Nice to finally meet you… Matt?" She furrowed her brows for a second. "Wait, have we met before? Do I know you from somewhere?"
"You probably remember me from the three months I spent in the news after Magictime Theater shut down," he answered. She got a concerned look but didn't recognize him. He waved it off, "I'm kidding. So, what's the plan here? Does it still go on lockdown until five and am I looking at everything in there becoming aggressive when that happens?"
"Oh! No, probably not… Kind of. Here, I'll explain. Come over here." She beckoned him to the front door. There was a little locked box beside the door that she unlocked with a tiny key. Opening it revealed a keypad inside. "This is how we lock and unlock the doors; the code is five-three-one-eight-two. Five-three-one-eight-two. Obviously you need to have this key to go in this way, so I'm not worried about you having the code."
Mike repeated the code in his head. "So, I can just leave whenever? Stay a couple of hours and see what I can do, then leave if I can't do anything?" Jennifer made a sucking noise through her teeth.
"Not exactly… See, the true horror of Hickory's is that if anyone touches this keypad between midnight and six, the alarm goes off and the cops are called. It's a new anti-burglary measure they added in since they still think that night you broke out that someone broke in. Point is, you'll want to leave before midnight." She looked at her watch. "And since they don't usually get started until this late anyways... You're looking at a really tight window here."
"And once I'm in you can't get me out?" Mike flatly asked. He slowly became less amused by the situation.
"No," Jennifer simply said. Mike gave a slow sigh; there always was a catch.
"Okay… Then I'm going to try and get out before midnight. I can't say I'll fix anything in that time, but I don't want to get caught sneaking out in the morning," he said. She nodded in agreement, not questioning it, and unlocked the door for him.
"No, that's pretty much all I expected after last time. And I rather you get out without… Another last time." Jennifer practically shuddered at the thought. "We don't need anyone to start looking at as like we're vandals. I don't even think they check the cameras anymore, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're in there somewhere. Who knows? This places fixes one thing and slacks on the next."
"And yet you're wearing one of their uniforms," Mike pointed out. She stared blankly; he quirked a brow.
"…It's my old uniform. I was just wearing it for, uh, old time's sake- Just go in! If I have the door open at midnight then we're going to have the state patrol all over us," she lightly snapped in embarrassment.
Mike smirked a little as he stepped inside and looked around. Things looked mostly the same from this section of the arcade, save that some of the older machines- pinball and skee-ball tables- had been swapped out for newer machines. Maybe he was imagining it, but the foreboding atmosphere of the arcade seemed to have loosened up. Or that could've just been because of what transpired giving him a false sense of security.
"Call me when you leave… And if you don't, I'm just going to assume you're still in here and come by at six to make sure you get out," Jennifer offered awkwardly. Not willing to say what she was thinking; that he could somehow wind up dead. "But please call me if you get out. I don't want to wake myself up and drive all the way over here just to find out that you're already gone." She flinched at her own comment. "And what I mean by gone being that you left. Not that you're… Dead."
"…Didn't you say they were throwing trash and knocking over stuff?" Mike asked. He was slowly growing more wary and she waved him off.
"Yes, sorry. Just jumping the gun. If anyone's risking anything, it's me." Jennifer started to edge the door closed. "Last chance to back out."
"If I didn't leave when I thought there was danger, why would I leave when I thought you might be overreacting?" Mike asked jokingly. "Trust me, I've got it covered. I'll see what I can do."
"Alright. Thanks again, Matt. I really owe you for this," Jennifer finished. She then shut the door, locked the keypad box back up, and headed to her car.
"Yeah, you sure do," Mike muttered. He turned away from the door and started to walk down between the towering aisles that separated the arcade games. "You could at least buy 'Matt' a sandwich or something."
"Or maybe she could reimburse us for the hotel room," Marionette said as he popped around the corner. It caused Mike to jump back, having not even realized the puppet had let himself in. Marionette hung out from the shelf by one arm and smiled cheekily. "You should ask her when she comes for us at six."
"Thanks for the mini heart attack. I didn't even see you come in," Mike said as he brushed the surprise off. "And who said anything about us staying?"
The puppet smiled wider. "Preparing for the worst." He then drew away from the shelf and beckoned his companion. "Come along. Let's go check the office," he said before leading the way further into the business.
Mike shoved his hands in his pockets and followed along. There was clearly a different feel to the arcade even with the tight space and foreboding words of Jennifer. At least it didn't feel like he was constantly being watched by some sort of invisible force. It looked like the place had been spruced up a little too.
"You know, I went ahead and put money on the room to keep us from doing something stupid. Like changing our minds and deciding to stay all night. Unless they installed cable and put a bed in the office, I don't see that changing," Mike said. Marionette chimed in amusement and they came up on the 'office'.
It was even more barebones than before. What once had a desk and a monitor was now just a table sat beside a line of change machines. There was a simple office chair behind it and the closet in the back was still there, but it was apparent that this was no longer set up for a nightguard. Now it was just the corner for a dayshift worker to exchange cash for coins and tokens to play the games.
Marionette looked over it momentarily before looking towards the stage. The curtains were drawn closed and hiding the animatronics. Whatever lay beyond those curtains could change things drastically; it would mean the difference between a suffering sentient or a broken bot.
"We could probably use a few of these in Foxy's," he said as he looked at the coin changers. He then looked back to see the look that the puppet was giving the stage. He looked too and saw nothing except the curtain, so he went ahead and sat down in the office chair. He kicked his feet up on the table and prepared to settle in for a long wait. "So, what are you thinking?"
"I think I should go check the animatronics," Marionette quietly replied. He then began to ghost over towards the curtains, floating slowly up to them, and then pausing outside of them. He stared up at them with an unreadable expression. All he had to do was go in and look for a response. He had done so many times, but this time felt different, heavier, likely because of his last visit to this place.
He didn't know what he would do if the other Toys were still stuck here. He already failed them more than once.
Mike watched as Marionette's unreadable expression slowly became more distressed until it was a clear frown. He inhaled deeply and exhaled in a sigh, then pulled himself together, put his feet down, and leaned forward onto the table. "I can come with you," Mike offered. Marionette considered it before shaking his head. If the animatronics were alive it could by risky letting him get seen. The security guard tried another tactic now, "Or you could just wait a few minutes and whatever's in there will probably wander out here."
Marionette gave a small chime of amusement and turned towards the office to say something. In that instant, something reached out from the curtain and yanked him in.
Mike shot up from his chair. "Mari?!" He could hear clamoring behind the curtain. He could hear 'Pop Goes the Weasel' beginning to ring out and with it came a peal of boisterous, nearly crazed laughter. Mike ran over to the stage and was about to throw himself through the curtain when it suddenly opened halfway and revealed what had gotten the puppet.
"Of all the pizzerias in the world, I never thought I would hear such a beautiful sound again! My muse has come back to me!"
It was the Music Man that currently had Marionette wrapped in his arms and was spinning him around in excited delight. His torso and upper half spun while his legs remained in place, and the puppet flailed like a ragdoll as he tried to fight the arms. Mike had seen this animatronic before at the auction but had never seen it move or heard it talk for himself, but he wasn't too surprised with what he was seeing.
"I've missed you so much, my little silver bell! All these countless hours listening to the cracks spreading across my battered heart, waiting for your music to reach it again, and here you are!" Music Man cheered. He then drew Marionette back and stared at him. His large, black eyes finally focused in on the puppet in his arms and within seconds he realized his mistake. "…Hey, wait a second! You're not my muse!"
"Hey!" Mike snapped. Music Man looked over and the second he saw the man he stiffened up. His arms, wrapped around Marionette and still holding his cymbals, suddenly snapped open into a default pose as those preparing to play music. In an instant he returned to being a 'lifeless' animatronic, and in the suddenness of it Marionette dropped onto the stage. The security guard narrowed his gaze. "Oh no, don't stop on my account. You just keep tossing him around. Don't mind me."
Marionette got up quickly and hovered closer to the edge of the stage. He didn't leave it though, instead looking to Music Man with slight wariness but mostly confusion. This being the last thing he had expected to find. Mike came over to check over him. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine. I can handle spinning," Marionette assured. He never took his eyes off Music Man and turned fully towards him. "Don't worry about Mike, he knows about us. He's no danger. How did you get here?"
"He was auctioned back at Animatronicon," Mike answered instead. "We saw him get sold while we were waiting for Chance's turn. He was hands down the most expensive animatronic I've ever seen."
"Yes, but what was the true cost?" Music Man suddenly blurted out. He slammed his cymbals together once. "Me, a musician, a professional, stuck in a pizzeria that doesn't even serve pizza! With mice statues that don't even sing!" He swung a cymbal out wider to gesture towards Dickory, who was still half obscured by the curtain. It stood there dormant and stared ahead with the glassy, lifeless eyes. "And the kids who come in don't listen to music, they only care about the games! This has been a real nightmare!"
"I take it you don't like it here," Marionette sympathized. "Have they been hurting you? Have you been suffering?"
"Does suffering in silence count? No, no, because even silence would be better than the constant noise of the game machines!" Music Man began to bang his cymbals faster in irritation. "And nobody can hear me because I'm stuck in the back all the time. I should be the star and here I am playing second fiddle to a couple of rats and a pompous blowhard!"
Marionette silently looked over at the unmoving Dickory. It didn't look too pompous to him.
"Hey, wait a minute…" Music Man's hands stopped short right before they would clatter the cymbals again. He stared at the puppet with a newfound interest. "You might not be my muse, but you were the guy running around withmy muse! Do you know where she is, my silver bell?"
"She performs at our pizzeria. We're good friends," Marionette answered. This seemed to catch the other animatronic's attention and he leaned in a little more.
"How good of friends…?" Music Man drew out slowly.
"I consider her family. I'm closer to her than I am my own sister… Then again, my sister is closer to her than me too."
"That's wonderful!~" Music Man rung out. He began to excitedly clap his cymbals in delight. "Then that means you can bring her here to see me! Oh, how good to see her again, to finally release the song that I've caged in my heart!" He continued to gush excitedly before spinning again and leaning in close to the puppet. "Will you bring her here?"
"I don't think that's possible," Marionette vaguely answered. With how unstable Music Man was acting he expected that a 'no' wouldn't go over well. Already the spider animatronic had dropped his arms and was now staring at him blankly which he didn't take as a good response. "It wouldn't be safe to try bring her here. What if she was trapped here? You said yourself that life in the arcade is less than appealing."
"But we would be together!" he protested. It was only then that it occurred to the puppet that he really couldn't bring Charlie here, because the Music Man wouldn't let her willingly leave. He started to drift back towards the edge of the stage, but Music Man stepped forward. "Hey, wait a minute! You can't just run off like that, Buddy!"
"I'm afraid we are pressed for time. If we don't leave soon we'll be stuck here all night, and you wouldn't want to give your 'muse' a reason to worry. I can tell her that you're thinking of her," Marionette offered kindly, trying to defuse the situation. For a moment it almost seemed like it did as Music Man calmed down and stared ahead like he was thinking. "We do have a few minutes though. If you would like you could sing for me and then I could mimic it back to her."
"She would worry if you didn't come back to the pizzeria, wouldn't she…?" the spider asked calmly. "And then… If you still didn't come home…" A low glow illuminated his eyes in excitement as he looked back to the puppet and spread his arms again. "She would come to find you and we'd be together again!"
Marionette's eyes widened and Mike suddenly noticed how the cymbals were positioned, right where they could slam closed and catch the puppet in between them. They started to swing closed-.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
The unfamiliar voice caused Music Man to stop instantly, with his arms still poised to try and catch Marionette. Though the puppet instantly jerked back regardless and backed off the stage. Once he was in reach, Mike grabbed his arm and pulled him behind him, eyes now glued onto the curtain where the voice had come from.
Music Man made a rapid cymbal noise from his chest and turned on the curtain with a cry of anger. "I don't remember asking you for your opinion- and you let him get away!" he snapped.
"They're already watching us for what happened to Hickory. If anything gets broken, if anything gets moved, they might take us off stage," the voice reminded. It sounded significantly older in age, almost like an elderly man, but even without seeing the speaker Mike just knew it wasn't a human. "You think it's hard now but being labelled out of service and taken away would be much worse. That's what they'll do."
"That's easy for you to say! You've been coasting since the day you got here!" Music Man snapped. He began to beat his cymbals sharply. "You just don't want me off stage because then they might expect you to perform more!"
"…Well yes, that is true," the unknown voice agreed. He gave a short chuckle that popped just enough that it was evident it came out of a speaker. "But unlike some people, I quite enjoy sharing my stage."
"Only because you're always in the front. Actions are louder than words, Stage-hog," Music Man scolded. This only amused the other more who began to laugh louder.
By now Mike was starting to become impatient with the routine, especially since it was becoming increasingly clear that this was not a dire situation. They were possessed animatronics, yes, but they were acting more like children throwing temper tantrums than adults, and from their voices neither sounded like they were children.
He spoke up loud enough to get their attention. "He's got a point. The only reason we're here is because the staff's getting tired of cleaning the place up every morning. These people already dealt with their machines becoming hostile, so they aren't going to take much more of this," he warned. Out of reflex he checked his watch. "…And can we wrap this up in the next four minutes? Because if we're not out of here by midnight then we're going to be stuck here all night."
"…I'M STUCK HERE ALL NIGHT!" Music Man exploded. He began to slam his cymbals so fast and so hard that Mike was sure he would soon have a pounding headache.
There was a rustling at the curtain. Ignoring the spider's outburst, the voice spoke up from behind it. "It's you!" he gasped. "The mime. I remember you… I never thought I would see you again."
This immediately perked Marionette's curiosity and he drew away from Mike to raise up onto the stage. He kept some distance from Music Man as he approached the curtain, though said spider still looked towards him like he was considering making a grab for him.
"Don't you even think about it, Music Man. You try anything with him and I will taze you," Mike lightly threatened with a weary tone. He still patted where his taser was, or where it was supposed to be. "With the taser I left in the car," he muttered under his breath before running a hand over his face. This was not how this night was supposed to go.
Meanwhile, Marionette approached the curtain. The speaker inside shuffled back. "No, wait, you shouldn't come much closer. It's very late…" He almost sounded fearful.
As the puppet peered in he was surprised by what he saw, giving a soft clink of surprise. "So, you were alive! This whole time?" he asked with a tilt of his head. Though right then he received another call.
"Mari, we've got to go. Now," Mike suddenly warned. He was already starting to back towards the aisle but not ready to run for the door when Music Man was still watching his companion like a hawk. He kept looking between the spider and his watch. "We're out of time."
Marionette was torn now that he had seen what was hiding behind the curtain. The speaker was insistent however, "Go on. It's fine. You need to get him out of here."
The warning caught the puppet off guard. He internally checked the time and seeing how close they were to midnight took it much more seriously. He turned immediately, brushed past Music Man quickly, and hurried after Mike. The security guard was still waiting for him, so the puppet waved for him to go. Which he did and tried to make it to the door before they ran out of time.
Halfway to the door the lights suddenly dimmed and there was a noticeable powering down noise. It had just turned midnight.
Marionette instantly felt a touch of dread. Mike did not, instead tossing his arms in the air and slowly turning around in defeat. "Well, that's it. Choice made for us," he announced as he already started heading back towards the makeshift office. He called past the puppet towards Music Man still on the stage. "Looks like you got your wish, Music Man! We're spending the night!"
"Mike, I'm sorry. I wasn't even paying attention to the time," Marionette apologized guiltily, anxiously. "Maybe there's still a way for me to get the door open without triggering the alarm."
"It's worth a shot. Considering what's going on in there, I don't think us being here's going to fix Hickory's problems," the security guard suggested as he gestured towards the stage. Noticing the other's guilty look he was about to assure him- after all, he could've been paying closer attention to the clock too- but he soon noticed something. He did a double take back towards the stage and noticed something odd. "Hey," he said quietly. "Something's up with Music Man."
The puppet spun around to face the stage and could see for himself that Mike was right. Music Man was standing prone on the stage with his eyes now flickering and his arms lightly twitching. His fingers began to slowly unwrap from around the handle of his cymbals until they clattered to the stage. His fingers flexed and his wrists twisted as he regained feeling in his hands. Then he stiffly turned his head and stopped to stare in their direction. He was completely silent.
"I don't like that look he's giving us," Mike muttered. He looked over towards Marionette only to see that his expression had also changed. He was staring back at the spider with a stoic and smile-less face. Mike didn't like that look either, or what it could mean. A rustling at the curtains caught his attention and he looked back in time to see a hand drawing the curtain open.
Orville the Elephant was the last person he expected to see standing there. He was moving just as robotically as Music Man had been moving as he stepped out and stared at the two. It was clear that his now shrunken pupils were focused on the only human in the arcade. Then he spoke again, but his once warm if fearful voice was now lower and labored.
"It's… Him."
Mable: They're going to have fun with this one.