Mable: It's finally time to post the next chapter! I won't prattle on too long- Heavens knows I do that, so I hope you enjoy the chapter! Enjoy!

Can't Go Home Again

Chapter Forty-One

Mike didn't even have a chance to step in.

Suddenly the black blur launched by and struck into the Phone Guy. He was immediately knocked off balance, struggling to grip at the table and falling to the floor heavily. The chair fell over, knocked aside by the struggle, and Phone Guy's back heavily hit the ground. He looked upwards in terror at the white face staring down at him and tried to fight against the hands clawing at him. Marionette was crazed, entirely out of control, and his hands were already going for Phone Guy's neck.

Mike didn't wait another moment and was suddenly in the quarrel. He grabbed ahold of the animatronic's frame from behind, yanking him back.

"Wait, no! This isn't- Stop! Let go of him!" Mike was practically begging. The last thing he wanted was to try and physically fight the puppet. The second he started to tug the animatronic back, the song echoing from his chest changed, wavered, and carried an odd undertone. As though he was crying out in frustration, and Mike suspected that it was aimed towards himself primarily. Somehow Marionette pushed forward and was back on Phone Guy.

Marionette's wires started to slide out and, in a moment of franticness, Mike tried to tangle his hands into the ones at his shoulders. He then tightened his grip and yanked back; as he expected, Marionette actually faltered to his own strings. This was just like during the fight with Golden Bonnie, though this time the puppet was much less intimidated. By now Phone Guy was hysterical, trying to keep the animatronic off as it finally got one hand on his neck. Static started to fill the room. He gave a coughing choke, Mike gave another tug, and then-.

The puppet suddenly vanished.

Mike was caught so off-guard by the strings disappearing from his hands that he stumbled back against the wall. Phone Guy clutched at his neck, sputtering and babbling in a frantic panic. However, Mike was more concerned by the fact that Marionette was suddenly gone. He could expect him to return and attack at any time, but he knew that he had to find him for his own sake. He could only hope that Marionette hadn't heard everything, but from his immediate aggression…

"Are you okay?!" Mike blurted out and Phone Guy's answer was a rambling spill of words. "Okay, okay, just- you'll be fine, just- I have to go look for him, you might want to leave." Mike didn't want to seem coarse, but he had no doubt that if the older man stayed he would be attacked again. Phone Guy scrambled to his feet and started out of the door. Mike desperately called after him, "I got this under control! Please don't sue or tell anyone please!" There wasn't much of an answer before he got out the door.

In an instant, the security guard was sprinting down the hall and barged into Marionette's bedroom. There was no need to keep looking, as the puppet was waiting for him. The first cue that Mike had that it wasn't just Phone's Guy presence that set him off was that, when he entered, Marionette was facing away from him. Even after he shut the door behind him and stood there, Marionette absolutely refused to face him. It was then that Mike realized something much more telling.

It was completely silent. No music, no static, just complete quietness.

"Mari…" Mike didn't know how to approach this situation. Was he supposed to be angry, as Marionette attacked an innocent person? Was he supposed to feel guilty, because of his withheld information? As he stood there, staring at the animatronic's back, he was still feeling panic. This could ruin everything. "…How much did you hear?" There was no response. "…Okay, I'll admit it, I wasn't completely honest about what happened earlier. The friend Fritz introduced me to was him and he's… You recognize his voice, you know who he is."

No answer.

"And he's clearly not the Purple Guy," Mike insisted. "I mean, he's alive, so that's evidence that… Yeah…" He rubbed at his hair, staring at Marionette's back. This quietness was killing him. "Say something… Or at least face me."

"I can't," that was all that Marionette could say. His voice was rather blank in tone and completely unreadable.

"Alright, then just- What did you hear?" Mike was desperate. "Phone Guy said a lot of things and a lot of them are wrong. He thought I was- and you know I'm not- related to Afton. Unbelievable, right?" Forced casual tone, forced smile, blank staring. There wasn't an immediate response. "…Come on, don't shut down on me, Mari. I… We've survived too much for this. I didn't tell you- I kept this from you, but I just…" He inhaled; time to be honest. "I didn't want to tell you about Phone Guy because I didn't… I didn't want to tell you what he thought."

There was still silence for a few seconds. Mike leaned back against the door, his back thumping against it as he stared across the room at the animatronic. It was a brief stalemate.

"He thinks that William Afton is my father. I heard him say that," Marionette blankly stated. His voice, again, was overfilled with apathy.

"Just because he says that-."

"Mike," Marionette interrupted him, "There is something I didn't tell you." The room felt uncomfortably hot, cramped, and unyielding. Mike could only watch and wait. "Down while we were in ARI, I found something…" He didn't face him, but he raised his hand to his face. "There were rooms down there that were made in a shameless display. Bedrooms, fake walkways, a fake restaurant, all put together as though a set for a play… My bedroom was one of those rooms. It looked similar to this room, very similar."

Mike's look was dumbfounded at best. "William Afton knew my bedroom. His knew this house. He knew more about the bite than I told you," Marionette explained. His body shook and his hands tightened. "Mike, Phone Guy was right. William Afton had to have been my father. It is the only thing that would explain my bedroom being in his playground." Mike didn't know if he agreed with this, but this statement certainly changed a few things. This made it seem at least a little more believable. Marionette was taking it surprisingly well.

Though, then again, he couldn't see Marionette's face.

"Mari, I'm sorry," Mike didn't know what else to say.

"You didn't tell me," Marionette spoke, his voice finally revealing some betrayal on it. "You lied to me."

"I know and it was a stupid thing to do," Mike admitted. "But Mari, the only reason I did it was because I just- I couldn't stand telling you that. I didn't want to tell you that." He looked towards the floor. "It was cowardly. I know that and I'm ashamed of myself…" Then his blue eyes locked back on the animatronic; the time was now. "But you didn't tell me things either. You didn't tell me what really happened to you."

The noise that Marionette made was wrenching. A slight gasping noise, like an off-tune sigh, and his hand returned to his face. He said nothing, but this was enough to reveal that he wasn't as put together as he was acting. Mike finally moved in closer, watching as Marionette straightened to cover himself again.

"Look at me, Mari. I want to see your face. Please," Mike insisted, feeling much less subdued. Suddenly he had to step in because it was obvious that the puppet wasn't as together as he made himself seem. It took a few minutes for the animatronic to respond. He just sat there, staring at the wall, and then slowly turned around. Mike could finally see his face.

Which meant that Mike could finally see the devastated look on Marionette's face, and the fresh purple tears that were starting to drip down his front. This was what Mike expected and it did hurt. It hurt to see that look and to see that utter horror. "Oh Mari…" He didn't restrain himself; he reached forward to take Marionette's face into his hands. He couldn't remember ever touching the puppet's mask this much, or possibly at all, as Marionette was constantly protecting it so much. Mike couldn't reign himself in; he had to give some sort of comfort.

The animatronic shuddered in his grasp and slowly raised a hand- purple stained as Mike now noticed- and laid it on one of Mike's. He welcomed the human's touch.

"I just didn't want to hurt you," Mike admitted as he tried to wipe away some of the purple tears with his thumb. Again, Marionette flinched in his grasp, but he didn't remove his hand. The human could feel the porcelain fluidly shift under his fingers as Marionette tried to hold himself together beyond the silent weeping. "I thought I was protecting you, even if it was for a couple of hours." Yet he had somehow managed to still find himself in the same situation. He coaxed the male closer, "It's going to be okay. We've been through worse."

At this point, Marionette gave up. He clung to Mike, who quickly wrapped his arms around him to hold him close, and began to sob. He emanated static, off-key chords, and the occasional muffled voice through the sounds of despair. "How could he do this?" was cried out more than once. Mike didn't know if he meant Afton or Fredrick, but it really could've been both. He grabbed at Mike's shirt, tugging at the cloth with needy hands clinging for comfort, as though willing to tear through anything for some sort of relief.

And Mike could only listen to him and hold him. He could only rub his back and head so much, but nothing he would do could make this go away. Marionette was nearly hysterical, though had yet to hit the point where he had been the night when Mike first arrived. Which was good, as he didn't know if he could handle him being that far. He tucked the puppet's head under his and held him tightly. Mike never imagined that it would actually be painful to have someone break down in front of him, but it was physically agonizing.

Between Marionette's crying, and the occasional frustrated cry- "How long did he lie to me?! I thought he loved me!"- Mike would occasionally get a word in, "I don't know. I don't understand why anyone would hurt you." Of course, Mike was letting his feeling towards the bite slip in, while Marionette was focused on William Afton, which was still not proven. He seemed entirely convinced about it.

There came a point when Marionette wore himself out too much to continue vocalizing his frustration and betrayal. At this point he just kept his face pressed into Mike's shirt, holding tightly onto him, and let the last of his tears silently slip out. Mike easily held him in his arms and only tightened his grasp when Marionette's weakened. He couldn't risk letting him go for even a moment.

"Mike…" Marionette quietly murmured into his shirt. His fingers tightened once more on Mike's arm. "I feel filthy."

"It's just purple, it'll come out," Mike responded in a slight, very tentative attempt to ease the mood. Or to at least pretend like he didn't know what the other really meant.

Marionette moved upwards to rest his head on Mike's shoulder. His damp porcelain stained Mike's shirt further, but Mike really didn't care. It wasn't important considering the situation. Though this angle did give Mike a better way to hold the striped male, and he wrapped his arms tighter around his back and middle.

"I feel… Empty," Marionette admitted. "I can't even feel. I think I lost it all." This was probably a little overdramatic, but he then followed with. "I remember the man who tucked me in at night. Who flipped on my night light and would comfort me after a nightmare." His voice began to crackle in a choke, static sinking in again. "How could that man take so many young lives? How could he- How could he create me, but then kill another. Why would he do that? How could someone do that?"

"I don't know…" Mike quietly responded. "I didn't know when we thought it was Phone Guy. I didn't know when I saw him in Golden Bonnie…" He hugged him a little firmer. "All I know is that… Regardless… He's gone. He's gone, he's dead, and Fredrick… I won't begin to pretend that I understand his reasons. I don't know why he decided to take over William's stuff, but maybe he was really a good guy. He lost kids, so maybe he saw you as his son? I don't know, I can't vouch for him either. I can't vouch for anyone except myself."

"And what do you think?" He had turned to look at Mike. His face was still full of despair and his features continued to change. He had lost any desire to keep control of himself; though this had been obvious when he attacked Phone Guy. At least, Mike assumed, Marionette had been a lot less persistent with Phone Guy that he had been when they first met. Though it may have been the threat of crying that drove him away.

In the end, Mike was honest. "I think we've both been stuck around a lot of garbage people. Maybe I'm guilty of this too, but I would never do something to hurt you… And I know you'd never turn on me." Marionette pressed against his neck and curled further against him. "So… So nothing's really changed. It's still just you and me, alright? It doesn't matter about the bite, it doesn't matter about who your father is, and it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. We've only had ourselves to rely on and that still stands."

Silence for a few moments. Then Marionette forewarned him, "I'm going to cry again."

"I sort of expected that," Mike responded. He tightened his hold a little further; ignoring the nagging ache in his legs as he stood in the middle of the room. The puppet pressed back against him and continued weeping on his shoulder.

It was unfortunate that the door started to open. Marionette slide down just enough that his face was not visible while Mike looked back in horror. "What the hell?! Does Phone Guy have a death wish or-?!... Oh." Instead, there stood Fritz, who looked a little too awake at Midnight. "…Fritz?" Mike was completely baffled at his arrival. "You couldn't have chosen a worse time to randomly pop in."

"Phone Guy called me… Is everything okay, or…?" Fritz could see the purple and it was clearly obvious what position Mike and Marionette were in. Nobody was trying that hard to hide it. "I picked a bad time."

"That's an understatement. Is Phone Guy still out there?" Mike hoped not. He could already feel Marionette tense at the reference. Eventually he would have to ask him and Phone Guy about what this animosity was between them.

"He's in his car. He wanted someone to come check on you and he's, well… Let's be honest; neither of us really thought that he was completely there, am I right?" Mike did agree on that note. "I'll be out here so don't rush or worry if you hear anything."

"Rush?"

"Yeah, just-," Fritz closed the door, leaving Mike staring after him in a bewildered fashion. "…He's going to get the wrong idea."

"He's still out there," Marionette bitterly spat as the static grew on his voice. Mike rubbed circles around his back, hoping to calm him down. "Out of everyone it was him that came back and he's still here." The static grew a bit more and now the security guard could feel his strings sliding out.

"Easy. He's not in the house," Mike reminded him. "And he didn't do anything. He told us what he knew, but that doesn't make him at fault." Marionette gave a frustrated noise in response, as though Mike didn't understand. Maybe then it really was more than just sudden anger; there really was some sort of reason he didn't like Phone Guy. Though that wasn't important right now. "Any better?"

"No," Marionette admitted, "not better. I just don't understand."

"I know. I don't either," Mike quietly responded as he continued to hold him. "…I had a feeling something would turn this night to hell. Purple Guy still manages to come back from the dead and kill an evening." Then the dreaded silence returned once again. This time it didn't last as long.

"Go see to them," Marionette insisted. "I'm… Stable… I'll live. Go see to them." He abruptly slid out of the human's grasp, to which Mike was unable to regain a firm hold, and approached the bed.

"You sure about that?" Mike's gaze followed him across the room. Something about the sudden change seemed completely fake. He had a hunch that the puppet was just uncomfortable with Fritz, and possible Phone Guy, being in the house without his consent. Or, at least, without him monitoring them.

Inwardly, Marionette still felt like a mess. He couldn't exactly put his finger on what he was feeling, but it was exhausting. It made him feel human again, but in the worst possible way. He laid down on the bed and pulled into himself; much more comfortable than finding a table to go crawl under. He almost forgot what it felt like to hide and weep at the same time, and it brought back memories. If there could be any worse time to remember his father coaxing him out from under the table at Freddy's Pizzeria.

He didn't know what was worse; the kids staring when he would panic as a child or knowing that his current co-workers, or at least one of them, knew about this panic and would think less of him. Stigma from other children lasted longer, but breaking down into a fit around adults was a lot more embarrassing. He couldn't even imagine what Fredrick would've thought; he couldn't even imagine what his defense would've been to the accusations. Would Fredrick denounce them, or would he admit to being a fake? Would he have a reason beyond covering past mistakes?

And what was so much worse was that Marionette had known something was wrong.

The nightmares, the scene in Afton's, the fact that his father just happened to come and find him; it all had started to ring alarm bells. He had seen the writing on the wall, but hadn't been paying enough attention to read it. He could've sworn Fredrick looked like his father, but then again, he could've sworn that all the security guards were the Purple Man. Neither Goldie nor Foxy ever said anything, and he couldn't tell if they were hiding it or somehow didn't know. It was possible that both were just as in the dark as he was. He didn't know how he would tell Foxy.

It wasn't until Mike laid a hand on his arm that he realized the man hadn't left the room. He hadn't been paying enough attention to notice he was still there. "I don't think I should leave you just yet," Mike pointed out as squeezed his arm. "Not until I know you're okay and we're okay." He meant about keeping quiet on what he knew. "You don't have to forgive me, but I just want to know that this isn't going to change us."

"I forgive you, Mike," Marionette immediately responded. "But… There is nothing to forgive. I understand why you did what you did. I… I know you care. That's more than enough." Indeed, it was. Mike might have hidden this from him, but at least Mike felt honest in his concern. The puppet had no doubt that his male caretaker really had been worried about his reaction. Besides, it would take more for him to feel ill will towards Mike.

Mike responded by patting his arm thankfully. He then paused for a moment and then laid his hand on Marionette's head. The puppet flinched as the warm hand slid to his forehead, over the porcelain of his mask. It felt so odd to have someone touching his face, as Mike had done before as well, but he didn't dislike it. It was comfortable, though oddly specific…

He realized that Mike was touching where he had been bitten. Though not in this body, it was around the same location of the most damage. It could've been a subconscious move alone, but Mike was still doing it, and he didn't seem ready to draw away. He just moved his hand faintly, as though he was petting the younger being.

Marionette hadn't wanted to tell Mike about his brother's actions. Both because he wanted to move on from them and because he knew that Mike wouldn't. He knew Mike would be upset and that it could potentially damage his friendship with Foxy. Marionette had been willing to forgive Foxy, while not forgetting what happened. Mike might not be as will to do so. So, he protected his brother as long as he could. Now that it was out in the open, Marionette was too weary to even try to defend Foxy if he wanted to.

He couldn't even worry about it though. There was too much elsewise to concern himself over; the mortifying reveal of the bite was merely an anecdote in comparison.

"I'll be back as soon as I'm sure Phone Guy isn't going to sue us," Mike partially joked as he drew back and headed to the door. Marionette turned to watch him go, no longer crying. At least Mike had managed to stem the tears that had been so willing to spill out earlier. The moment that Mike was gone, however, Marionette made a sudden decision. In an instant, he was gone too.

Mike stepped in the living room prepared to see Fritz and maybe Phone Guy. Instead, he found Fritz and Natalie, surprisingly. He immediately stared at her. "Natalie, what- How did you get here?" He was at least a little confused as he knew Phone Guy didn't know her, and it seemed odd that Fritz would randomly decide to bring her over. Unless-.

"It's a long story," Natalie tried to wave off, but something seemed a little uncomfortable in her smile. "We were just hanging out when Fritz got the call. Is everything okay."

"It's okay enough. Glad you both could stop by and witness this thing." It was then that Mike fully took in what Natalie had said. Something about that line seemed awful suspicious, especially since it was after midnight. "Pretty late to be hanging out," he remarked, a slightly coy smile forming.

"Phone Guy was here," Fritz volunteered, almost defensively.

"Yeah, but I didn't invite him. He just appeared on the doorstep," Mike defended in return. "And even that's got a sketchy reasoning behind it. You won't believe what conclusion he came in here with." He went straight for the fridge again, determined to get something to drink this time.

"You've, uh… Got a little purple all over you," Natalie pointed out in confusion. Fritz looked awkwardly towards some of the pictures on the wall. He didn't look willing to start explaining.

"It's mostly Mari," Mike volunteered while not going into details. He popped open a soda and headed towards the door. "Guess I should go try and patch things with Phone Guy," he remarked as he opened the door. He then lingered there, humming as he stared out into the night. "Huh… Fritz, looks like you didn't bring your car. Guess you two were sharing a car too," he looked over, mockingly suspicious, and took a swig of soda. "If things get rough, I'll be making a break for the border."

He stepped out of the house while Natalie and Fritz just stood there uncomfortably. The shorter female looked upwards to the male, gave him a sheepish smile, and tried to look somewhat confident. "I think we could've handled that better. Next time we need to figure out a good excuse before we drive over," Natalie suggested. "…But this is a step in the right direction, right?"

"Maybe. I can't tell when he's joking, being sarcastic, or just being bitter. So, I can't tell whether he knows and is pretending not to, or doesn't know and is pretending to," the technician added in. "But it's… It's something… It's not like he can penalize me anyway for keeping something like this quiet." He casually glanced down the hallway towards Marionette's bedroom. "It would be a pot and kettle thing." He turned his focus back on Natalie, putting an arm around her shoulders. "But hey, you said you wanted to do something exciting tonight, right?"

Natalie's look was so unimpressed, Fritz couldn't tell if she was mimicking Mike or not.

Outside, Phone Guy's car door was unlocked and Mike sat down in the passenger side. "Before you ask, no, he can't and won't come out here," Mike forewarned the older male. This may have eased him a little more.

Phone Guy looked rough, but he managed to speak. "You, uh… You take a spill with a paint can?" he pointed to his shirt. "Or did you- Did you just- you know, miss a lot?" He now meant the soda, but he was so unsteady that it was somewhat hard to understand what he was meaning.

"The truth is that I really am the Purple Man. I randomly grow purple spots when I hear music box music," Mike replied. Phone Guy flinched in response. "I don't know what Fritz told you about me and the puppet."

"He said you were- You were living with it," Phone Guy forced out.

"That's right."

"But- But why?" the older man seemed completely baffled. "Why would you live with something that will try to kill you whenever it can?!" Panic overtook his voice as he gestured to the house, "Do you- Did they tell you all that it did to us?! It's dangerous! It's not… Like the others."

Normally Mike would've tried to simply calm Phone Guy down, as he acknowledged why the man was in such a panic. Yet somehow defensiveness appeared out of nowhere, as though he was offended about what he was saying. "Just lay off him a little. They were all dangerous and they all had a reason why." When the older sent him a look of disbelief, Mike realized this was not the correct answer. Especially not when he already suspected the security guard. He decided to quickly throw more out into the open.

"He was the crying child," Mike admitted to him. "And that's why I originally stuck around. Fredrick was taking care of him before he died, and he thinks- or thought that Fredrick was his father." Clenched hands loosened on the steering wheel a little more and the panicked look loosened to a confused and slight shocked one. "And you know what? Fredrick made it really look like he was his father… He kept the room the same, he brought him here and started taking care of him...He left the house to me because he had nobody else."

So, there it was; a summary of his entire experience with the house and with Marionette. Sure, he left out the countless perils, the revelations, and the numerous good times they shared, but he knew it would be enough to explain why he originally did it. When it came down to it though, Mike did it because he wanted to.

"But that- I don't understand," Phone Guy choked out. "Why would Fredrick have him? I-I mean he probably has all of William's old belongings, I assume, but why the Puppet? Even if it was the crying child, why would he take that risk?" This did raise a good question. While they still hadn't proved or disproved whether Fredrick or William was the father, Mike still had some doubts, he questioned why Fredrick would take in the Puppet if he wasn't his son.

"…Maybe Fredrick did have a couple of kids who died," Mike volunteered to Phone Guy. The older man looked over to him and listened to his theory. "And if he found out who he was, maybe he told him he was his father and brought him here, to make up for losing his own kids." This was a stretch, but it was a possibility. "Something like that."

Phone Guy was looking at the purple spots again. Mike didn't know if he somehow got lucky and guessed what they were or not. He stayed silent, they both did, and for the moment they just sat there silently. They needed that silence.

Guilt seemed like a plausible explanation. Mike had felt it tonight and knew exactly how convincing it could be.

"Foxy?" Marionette's voice was hushed as he appeared in the pizzeria. Foxy appeared out from the hallway. It was late at night, but Foxy seemed content in wandering around the Pizzeria. The puppet felt uncomfortable, but he knew he needed to get answers, and he approached the other animatronic.

"Evening lad, what brings ya out to Foxy's ship?" Foxy casually greeted with interest in his eye. He didn't seem to notice anything amiss, which was good as he didn't want Foxy to somehow guess that he had been crying.

"I need to ask you something, Foxy," Marionette murmured. His voice then grew more firm, "And please, you have to be honest with me. I need to know." He kept telling himself that Foxy would have to know. He was his older brother, he was the one that never took to anyone, including Fredrick. Though Fredrick never seemed interested in Foxy, but that could be because he didn't know the truth. "…Do you- I… Do you know- Was William Afton- You remember William Afton?" Foxy gave him a somewhat blank look.

"Foxy, I can't… I can't remember enough. I need to know whether father- I need to know if Fredrick was our father or whether it was William Afton." This led into quietness. Foxy's ears twitched and his body followed afterwards.

"Afton?" Foxy asked in curiousness. The name slipped out like he knew it, but at the same time didn't sound fully like he understood it.

"William Afton. He… He worked at Freddy's with Fredrick. He owned the facility that Mike and I went to… Foxy, there was something down there." Now it was Marionette who shuddered. "I found a fake world created underground. My room, our sister's room, bedrooms, fake rooms that looked like the diner; someone made that to mock our lives… And I think they took children down there and did something to them…" He tightened his hands. "And by 'them', I mean Afton. He made… He made animatronics born to kidnap and kill children."

Foxy was staring blankly.

Suddenly Marionette mentally flashed to the bedroom he saw while trying to find a way to Mike in the office, while Ennard had been hunting him. "There was a bedroom in particular… There were two doors, like an office would have, and led into two hallways… I don't know what it was used for, and I don't think I want to know… Foxy?"

Foxy was staring blankly.

"Foxy?" Marionette tilted his head. Foxy's quietness was odd to him.

"Captain Foxy's fine, lad. Very fine," Foxy suddenly chimed out. Though he was still standing stiffly and staring blankly. "You shouldn't worry about it. We don't need to know now. We're moving on." He slowly reached out to lay a hand on the other's shoulder, but then stopped in the motion, letting his hand recoil. "And we don't know- Lad- We don't know- There was a bedroom?" His tone shifted abruptly to one of confusion. "Was there a closet? A bedroom with a closet?"

Marionette's face shifted to a surprised look. Bedrooms typically did have closets, but this comment seemed somewhat significant. Especially since the bedroom in question did have a large and obvious closet door. "…There was a closet. It had white doors."

"Bedroom closet..." Foxy blinked and twitched at the revelation. Something was wrong. "I remember that closet and the… The hallways led down with- Hours under this place. Hours under this place." His voice sounded natural, his body language was mostly blank, but his words were losing any sort of coherence. Then, like a sudden flash, Foxy changed dramatically. He reached out and grabbed ahold of the puppet's arm, wrenching him forwards. "Hours, lad, hours! Why would you go there?! How did you even find it?!"

Marionette tried to pull his arms out of Foxy's grasp. He was shocked by Foxy's behavior, but was more concerned than afraid. He wasn't afraid of Foxy, but for Foxy. The fox animatronic finally released him and then stood there stiffly, staring at him with a blank look yet again.

"…I'm sorry…" Foxy quietly apologized, staring at the younger being. "I need air." He stiffly turned and started towards the back of the restaurant. Marionette followed slowly, wanting to ask more from his brother and perhaps comfort him. That was, until Foxy suddenly broke into a sprint towards the hallway.

"Foxy?!" Marionette called after as Foxy slammed through the back door, unlocked from the inside but locked from the outside, and sprinted out into the world. Marionette teleported outside just in time to see Foxy disappear across the street and through the snowy darkness. "Foxy, don't go!" It was too late to stop him and Marionette knew he couldn't risk venturing into the night to find him. Foxy was gone and Marionette knew he needed help.

It wouldn't be the first time that Marionette relied on Mike today.

Mable: I was considering adding secrets and hints to the story that could be found, but I'm sort of torn on whether I want to do that or not. After all, that would risk spoiling some things that I don't think should be spoiled yet. Maybe I'll consider it in the future, when there's less at stake. I mean, as it is now, Foxy's currently barreling through the town, in the snow, in the middle of the night. I think that's a little more important than dropping a few hints here or there. XD

I'm intending on posting another poll on my profile, but it probably won't be posted until next Saturday, so this is just a heads up for if you want to vote. Last poll's turnout was excellent and I think I got a good idea of what was wanting to be seen. ^-^ This poll will be… A little different, but opinion-wise equally important. Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoyed and I shall see you next weekend!