All the stories are true

by Dayfal

A fan of the "Five Nights at Freddy's" franchise is brought in a world where the events of his beloved video game series have yet to take place. Taken in by the Emilys, he slowly adjusts to his new life and tries to stop the murders and save those that would have originally died as well as stopping William Afton, all while he figures out the games' extensive lore from memory.

20. Chapter 20

Fredbear's finally opens, shenanigans ensue. Nuff said.

FayVeku: It's better to take a bullet than to betray his friend. Lucky for him he didn't suffer for it. Quite the opposite in fact, since now he must be kept around, in Willy's eyes. Sometimes a little lie for the right reason can go a long way. But it can bring out some pretty bad stuff as well. It remains to be seen…

awesomesniper86: Guess I must've overslept if I managed to disappear a second time, huh ? I'm afraid this one might take you even longer to read XD. In any case, thank you for the kind words and suggestions, I'll try to stay clear of cabbage, earwax and I'll make the effort to look at the nicer stuff!

kukuhimanpr: But of course. Henry can think no wrong of his dear friend Will. As for Afton, well, he couldn't be more pleased with that…

Guest: Aw, shucks! I'm very happy to hear it! Thank you kindly! Rest assured that this'll explore some pretty interesting stuff _.

Dark0000: William is a true pleasure to write! I love drawing inspiration from the many great villains out there like Patrick Bateman, Anton Chigurh and Johan Liebert and combining all of those aspect into one sick, unpredictable little bastard that you can both kind of understand but hate with all of your soul. The denial breakdown he had was a pivotal moment, I would say. When writing a man like Afton, I think it's important to understand that for him to work- of course, no one is obligated to follow this, it's just how I do it- you have to make him be very afraid of something. In this story, that something is his true self, and not his own mortality. Why is he afraid of himself though, that he would go to such lengths as denying it with every fiber of his being? Because this William, as you say, has been putting on a mask for so long that a part of him has become that mask.

The true Afton is only now beginning to peek from behind the curtain, and the actor playing on stage is horrified of it. William is one of the most vile men to have ever walked the earth, yet he's terrified of himself, and I think that makes him incredibly captivating. You never know exactly what is going on in his head even when reading from his POV, and I believe that adds a lot to his character and the story as a whole. In the words of the TF2 writers: "He is a puzzle, wrapped in an enigma, shrouded in riddles, lovingly sprinkled with intrigue". And this is only the beginning! The stuff I have planned for him to do… ho boy.

What really appeals to me about him is that even I can't really tell whether or not he has some humanity inside of him. It's all up to personal interpretation. I will say however, that he does, to some degree, care for his family and kids. He does want the best for them, but he won't hesitate to remove any obstacles standing in his way. He's shaping those three up to be what he sees them as, what he thinks is ideal in order to survive in the world- himself. He's brainwashing them to be in his image, and despite the fact that he cares enough to do so, he won't compromise, as things can only go his way or no way at all. If after years and years of effort he does not notice any substantial improvement, well, who needed kids anyway? In that scenario they'd only bring him down. All that matters to William is their potential, which is why he has a weird kind of appreciation for Matthew. He sees something in him he does not in others.

Afton sees himself in Matt, and that little fact is gonna lead to some very enticing stuff!

And to think that initially Shadow Freddy wasn't even supposed to appear in this. Honestly, his inclusion is just one of those things that I stumbled upon that fit really well and open the doors to a ton of cool possibilities. He's like an endless well of conflict, and I plan to squeeze him of every bit of suffering he can generate. And yes, as I've said in my message if you've read it (for which I once again apologize if it happened to stress/disturb/inconvenience you) Shadow Freddy is the Devil/Nightmare. It's a role that would not fit anyone other than him, and I'm happy to know that you like it so much! I'm not really sure where the confusion stemmed from, but they are one and the same.

It does however mean the red herrings, foreshadowing and clues I sprinkled throughout were worth it if you say you had this feeling that they are the same person . As for why he's helping William, well, he… he doesn't really have much of a choice if he wants things to go a certain way. He could go without it, but it speeds things up and offers him some more opportunities to get closer to his end goal.

His future knowledge is very interesting, yes, but it's not JUST future stuff that he's aware of. Some of the things he says, certain lines of dialogue, they're not just from the future. They're from Matthew's- our world. Things that he should NEVER be able to know, and yet… it bares the question. Why? Where did he learn them? To the untrained eye, and William's ears especially, they might not be apparent, but they are there, and he's having a lot of fun saying them. Hmm… So many questions, so little time.

See, Shadow Freddy is playing the long game to get what he wants. To benefit the other worlds, he has to be patient for that to happen. He could make everything go bad, but where would the fun in that be? More pain can be caused by stacking up the agony until he gets enough out of everyone to take control of the wheel rather than killing all that moves for a momentary burst of… well, whatever it is that he gets out doing what he does. When bound by certain chains as he is, a shadow has to cultivate the darkness in order to escape, and once he does so all hell will break loose. Everywhere, everywhen. Because his kind of nightmares are relentless, and he'll stop at nothing to get out…

Old Man Consequences actually had tiny cameo in this back during Cassidy's nightmare in chapter 16! He is… hmm… he's very intrigued, I would say. With God, the Devil, Mirror Matt… where does he fit in all of this? Hehe… Jerry on the other hand is a neat character that may or may not be relevant in the future. I guess William will just have to wait and see who it is that he should be warry of, huh?

If you liked the VHS, I think you'll love this one, it's packed full of fan service !

Indeed, Legos are awesome, and Evan is based for playing with them. The small bean that is Evan must be protected at all costs. He'd make a wonderful friend to anyone who'd take the time to know him! As for his older brother, I'm very glad you like this depiction of him! While reading fics I noticed there was an oversaturation of aged up Michael and rarely did I see someone trying to expand upon the teenage Mike- mostly because most people, as you've said, like the older, attempting redemption version better than the younger, jackass one, which is fine, but has caused a noticeable lack of fics featuring young Mike.

So far, it's been great fleshing him out and giving him some much-needed complexity that he otherwise lacked in canon. He might resent his siblings but at the same time he truly wants what is best for them and is willing to achieve that by any means necessary so long as he's got his dad's approval. However, that doesn't mean he does not enjoy the torment, and I think writing him like this makes for an interesting dynamic and motivation. He's definitely not an angel, but with who his dad is, he's lucky he hasn't turned out worst, although he will need to be corrected for that to not happen. On the path he's going down at the moment he's getting closer by the day to become the puppet William wants him to be.

Once again, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the continued support and thoughtful comments! It's a true joy to read them and they never fail to brighten my day, so thank you for taking the time to write them! I really hope you'll enjoy this next chapter!

No triggers this time, today we're having fun! Have a nice read, everyone!

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I long to rock out on the big stage, I want the whole world to know my name!

Today was the big day, and as any big day would have it, Mr. E- Henry's excitement could be felt just be standing near the man. He'd push back his glasses onto the bridge of his nose more regularly, he was constantly rubbing his hands, and a stutter had formed in his voice since morning. His behavior was understandable however, and Mari had to agree that it shared his sentiment, thought the Puppet did a better job of hiding its feelings. Today would be the first time it would get to interact with kids besides the two it took care of at home, and it was more than ready to make sure the little ones would have a blast. Its role, as Henry had explained it, would be to look after the children that were too young to fully enjoy all that the diner had to offer, to give special presents to the kids that participated in specific activities and won especially high scores that would not be rewarded at the prize counter or those whose parents had bought exclusive packages and the like, as well as help guard the place. Mari would have to peek out from under the lid of its box from time to time and make sure all children were present and accounted for.

A surprisingly good decision done by its creator to include a safety feature- which was that all children were required to wear colored bracelets that were directly connected to the Puppet's systems, allowing it know of their location and their "importance"- although if what Matthew had told Mari about the wristbands was true, their inclusion would not really help much in the end. Still, they were a useful tool for the Puppet to have, who was not just a very intelligent robot like its future/past counterpart. Since it was not limited by the lines of code it had outgrown Mari would be able to take the best course of action, unlike its previous self.

The different colors had assigned values that Mari could use to tell what presents it would have to offer to who if it did not recognize a child. VIPs, the Emily and Afton children, as well as birthday kids would wear green bracelets that essentially gave them unlimited access to every attraction inside the diner and free stuff such as exclusive merch, drinks, prizes, etcetera. They would be the ones the Puppet could not let anything happen to, but that fact was Mari was already aware of. Not that it would let any other children get hurt, heavens no, but the programming inside of it reinforced the need to guard that specific group of children, even if it did not really affect the way Mari thought. It was probably just a way for Henry to feel as though his kids would be prioritized above all others, and for that Mari could at least respect the man a tiny bit, but that did not mean the rest of the little ones wouldn't receive the same level of protection if it came down to it.

It shouldn't think like that. The Puppet shouldn't succumb to the paranoia. It was the opening day, and Matthew had talked it through how the murders would happen where it could not fill in the gaps on its own. But it just couldn't help worrying. It saw what the boy went through every night, and the idea that the man it hated so much would be dressed as Springbonnie, and would be free to walk around whenever he so pleased… it bothered Mari, more than it would like to admit. The Puppet put on this sort of front that nothing fazed it, but in reality, it was anxious. Perhaps more so than Henry. Because it knew what could happen, and it couldn't shake of the feeling of anxiety at the thought that if it took its gaze away from the kids for even a second something terrible would happen.

Matthew had shared his worries with it a while ago. That if Mari had gained sentience, and because the Shadow was haunting his dreams, that meant anything was possible, and the events the two of them were familiar with could be altered or occur much sooner. The Puppet would've liked to assure the boy that no such thing could come to pass, but it would be lying. Who was to say that Afton wouldn't start his killing spree earlier? What stopped the man from switching murdering grounds from the yet to be built Freddy's to Fredbear's? Nothing. And that fact was enough to put Mari on edge. The man was not stupid, he would not shoot himself in the foot by killing so early in his business' life, but that did not guarantee he wouldn't begin earlier than anticipated.

The Marionette made a sound akin to a sigh, tracing the inner wall of its box with a long finger. It really shouldn't get caught up in what ifs. For now, there were more important things to focus on… Right, it had been pondering the bracelets. Well, after green the second most important color would be purple, ironically, which signified that the kids who'd wear it would have their parents purchase the most expensive birthday deals, or packages, as they were called in its code. Those children would receive the second highest treatment, and so on it would go from color to color from the biggest package to the lowest until finally the last color would be reached, which was orange. Orange wearing kids were to be considered general customers that had to pay for their arcade coins, drinks and food on their own- meaning really that their parents would be the ones paying. Those would get one free gift from the Puppet of lower value for on any given day and could only use their collected tickets to purchase prizes.

It was a… sad practice, if Mari was being honest, as it did not approve of discriminating between children, despite the clear bias it had towards its angels, but it understood its purpose. The restaurant had to earn money some way, and so for a better experience customers would have to pay more. On an initial cheap purchase of any of the diner's deals people would get a taste of what they could do, and if they were impressed, they'd have to spend more money for more benefits. It wasn't something the Puppet liked, as it could very well imagine how a child might feel if it saw that some kids would get special treatment over others. The little one would be left asking themselves why they could not be treated the same as the rest, and would naturally feel jealous when in reality neither they nor anyone else was to blame. It would not be their or their parents' fault if the adults couldn't afford more. That was just how things went, Mari understood that, but it was not comfortable with this setup. Not in the least. So, as a way to make those that would inevitably feel bad not be as saddened the Puppet would make it its mission to offer prizes in secret to the less fortunate, to try to get them to be happier.

That was all Mari really wanted in life. To see those cute little faces light up when they opened their gifts and be able to make them smile. That was the reason it had been built in the first place, and while it had gone beyond the lines of code that had made up its being, the purpose had carried over in spite of the Puppet's autonomy. The Puppet's sole desire was simple, but it was a honest one. To bring happiness. What greater joy was out there than to see those bright smiles grace the little angels' faces?

It had failed, in the previous time, to keep them safe. Mari had seen it, if briefly, and Matthew had indirectly informed it of how Afton had taunted it back then… You can't, the man had said. The Puppet had done its best to save them, to give them back their lives in the limited capacity that it could, but in the end, it had done more harm than good. What life was that where one was stuck on stage, repeating the same things over and over, only being free to roam at night in the hopes that your killer might be idiotic enough to come back so that you could stuff him inside an animatronic as he had done to you so you could finally be set free, all of that for decades? Mari- it knew it should not put the blame on its own shoulders, as little Charlotte had been the one to do all of those things in her misguided way of getting revenge, masked behind the justification of giving life back to those tortured souls- but a Puppet- the Puppet had failed. It had allowed the Purple Man to take away all that the children had, again, and now, as times had reset, it was about to happen a second time.

The only difference being that now there was a chance of the murders being at random, and as such there would be no time to waste. Mari would have to remain vigilant every second that man walked the halls of Fredbear's, and in the near future Freddy's. No matter, it wasn't as if the Puppet could get tired. If it had to be on guard every moment then so be it- the children deserved the effort. The concept of mental fatigue was foreign to Mari anyway, most likely due to its robotic nature. Perhaps that would change if more future memories appeared in its mind, but that hadn't happened for a while now, and the Marionette was content with the amount of awareness it possessed at the moment. No need to become even more humanlike. It processed emotions just fine, and any more human attributes would take away from the advantages that a mechanical form brought.

Its train of thought was broken when it heard a set of footsteps pass its box. Mari shifted itself so that it could take a peek outside, green optics shining through the gap. Afton himself had just walked by it, not noticing the eyes that drilled holes into his back as he made his way towards the stage where he got on, pulled the curtain and got behind it.

"There he goes… that pig." it snarled to itself in a whisper. How easy would it be to follow him in there and just snap his neck, ending this whole charade. No more waiting around for him to strike and endangering others. Just a quick twist of its wrist and it would all be over. The world would be spared of Afton's presence. Its dear children would be safe and protected…

Mari got so lost in its fantasizing that it did not realize it had begun rising out of its box as its fingers tightly gripped onto the edge. No more Purple Man… It was such an appeasing scenario…

But if the Puppet looked past its hatred and thought logically for a second, trying to kill Afton would not work for number of reasons. Even if it ignored them, it had promised its child it would not do anything rash if the situation did not call for it. Sadly, Mari could not kill Afton despite how much it wanted to because of the multitude of problems that would cause. If there was one thing the Puppet wasn't, it would be patient, and if that man dared lay a finger on any child, then there was nothing that would stop Mari from making his head face backwards. The consequences could go to hell so long as no child would get hurt.

By this point the Puppet was floating high above its box as it kept its stare on the stage curtains. No one was around to notice the lights in the room flickering above it as the glow of the Marionette's eyes intensified. A sound of sizzling static vibrated from its chest as its hands shook with rage. It could split Afton apart if it got its hands on him. All it had to do would be to lift the man into the air then use its powers to pull on his limbs until they ripped off of his torso. Then, it could grab his head and bash it against the wall till it turned to mush. Oh, how tempting that was, to go after him and end this once and for all so it could-…

…Finally recognizing what it was doing, Mari slid back down into the box, closing it without touching the lid. It sat there in silence, waiting for its music box to settle into the low hum it usually sung whenever it was calm. A noise so miniscule no one besides Matthew was aware of it, as the boy got to spend the most time in silence with the Puppet. It was lucky Fredbear's did not have any security cameras near the prize corner to capture the temper tantrum it just had. Maybe Henry ought to be informed of such an idea. It would make Afton wearier to kill inside the location if nothing else. Speaking of the moron that was its creator…

The first thing Henry had done upon waking up was to barge into Matthew's room and practically drag the Marionette with him so they could go to the restaurant and have everything set up for when it'd open its doors. Unable to really refuse the rude manner in which he had gotten its attention, Mari went along with the man without much protest, letting itself be put in the backseat of his car, though not before saying goodbye to the two still sleepy siblings. As it was winter break, the kids would not go to school, but Henry had refused to take neither Matthew nor Charlotte with him despite them not having to be anywhere else. He wanted them to see Fred's with the rest of the people so they wouldn't have to wait around bored for the show to start, or so he had explained in the car, and therefore he'd left his eight-year-old kids all alone at home. Early in the morning before they even had breakfast. Henry would go back for them just before the doors would open, had been his exact words.

Another example of its maker being irresponsible and unfit to care for his children. The Puppet got that he could not wait for the opening, but to be so negligent… Those two deserved better. Far better than the man that would be willing to lobotomize innocents, to rebuild his dead daughter into a robot and then abandon her, and keep her trapped in an iron maiden, shocking her every couple of seconds so that she'd remain docile, instead of speaking to her. Charlotte and Matthew deserved far better than Henry Emily. But, like always, there was little Mari could do to help the siblings in that regard and so, it had let it slide in hopes that they would receive a proper meal once they got here. The kitchen had many options from what it had heard, so the two were bound to find something to their liking, of that Mari had no doubt. And if not, it could always force the man to pay his kids the right amount of attention, or have it so the kids would be served without their father needing to get involved. That may be for the better.

The Marionette crossed its arms when the music box in its chest finally stopped with the static noise. It gazed at the white interior of the box, taking solace in the plain color that surrounded it. There was an odd sort of comfort that came by way of sitting in the box actually. It felt as though nothing could hurt it, and Mari would even go as far as to compare it to Henry's home in terms of coziness. Maybe it had been made to feel like this, though nowhere in its code was such a thing stated.

Despite the box being small for its size however, the Puppet had no difficulty getting in and out, and fitting, first and foremost. Its limbs bent in ways they really should not be able to for a robot, allowing Mari to fit into any crawlspace. Its movement brought up a memory that Mari could admit fit the nature of its robotic design very well. Matthew had once commented on how moving wobbly looked pretty off-putting, and if the Puppet took some time to consider it, it would realize that its boy was correct. Imagining how the toddlers would react if they saw Mari's arms bending in ways they shouldn't, looking like a snake's body… yes, the Puppet could see how that might scare them away. It would stick to human range of motion and articulation while in the young ones' vicinity. The last thing the Marionette wanted was to traumatize them with its supernatural abilities.

Mari would have the occasional show, but otherwise it would not perform nearly as often as Fred and Bonnie, although that was fine with it. It had been made to care more than to entertain, and the lack of its character having a voice meant the Puppet could not interact or sing the same way the main stars could, at least not in a way that could be explained, since those features hadn't actually been integrated into its body. Mari's voice was a result of its powers, not an actual facet of its mechanical body. Still, it was confided that those two could perform admirably, unaware and lifeless as they were. Which was the way they should be. Machines used for killing children should never be given life. They might've been mere tools, but that was all that was needed in the Puppet's optics to make them unworthy of living as it could. In its opinion, they were more like mindless dogs that had to be put down before they hurt anyone.

Those two would join Afton when the man's time came.

Obviously, Mari knew that its resentment for the two suits of fur and metal was unfounded, as they could not choose how they were used. The Puppet knew that it had an irrational feeling of loathing for them, but they had been directly involved in the deaths of innocents, so Mari couldn't help not having these sentiments regarding them. That being said… it wanted to see how they would fare. Its creator, while a massive idiot, was a genius when it came to robotics, so it would be lying if it said that it wasn't curious to see the kind of show non-sentient animatronics could put on. And since apparently every show would be different from the last, or very rarely repetitive, that set up some high expectations for the Puppet.

It had seen them before in completed forms, but it was one thing to see them in Henry's basement and another thing to know that they were behind those closed curtains. If Mari allowed itself to be childish, it was ready to have a blast witnessing history in the making. It deeply hoped that its brothers- fellow animatronics would not disappoint, because Henry had poured his heart and soul into this project. If there was anyone who had the engineering knowhow to do it, it'd be Henry. From the time he spent in his basement prior to the bots being shipped out to Fred's and for how long he stayed at the restaurant they must've been calibrated to perfection. Every voice line and movement down to the tiniest detail to make their debut a truly memorable one.

Mari hadn't received that kind of treatment, but it did not need it, and it had a suspicion that Henry was too afraid to try and prod at its code. All that would do was let the Puppet know exactly how it was supposed to act when it would've been its turn to perform, but it could figure that out on its own. In addition, Mari preferred not being limited by its programming, or well, limited was not the right word. Having its actions dictated beforehand sounded better. While any new piece of code wouldn't affect influence the Puppet, Mari would be able to feel it and that just wouldn't do. There was no need for programming when it had evolved past that point, so it did not want to be subjected to a "system update". In the Puppet's mind, a performance that was more improvised than scripted could have greater potential for enjoyment, depending on how good it turned out. The opposite could certainly be true as well, but Mari liked its freedom much more. It would play along if the main mascots would call to it so that it could join them, but when it would perform by itself Mari would be spontaneous.

In the meantime, it wished it would not be driven up the wall by that… man. But with how first impressions had gone with the guy, the Puppet was almost sure every day of its existence would be literal hell. The person it was thinking of was the prize counter employee that would… "assist it", but in all honesty, if the Marionette had been made out of flesh and bone it would've felt its skin crawling to be near him. Henry had brought him in to get him introduced to the counter and the Puppet inside, but after some time of hanging around with nothing to do the employee had left to go outside the restaurant to do who knew what. He was a young man that wore a toothy grin that was anything but genuine, having the potential to rival Afton's, wavy brown hair in what was supposed to be a mullet, pulled sleeves and a leaned back position in which he held his hands in his pockets in order to appear casual, but the Puppet knew better. Mari wasn't sure how but the bad vibes- as Matthew called them- it got from him were more than enough to make it conclude that the young man wasn't to be trusted.

And the worst part of all? His name, as his badge indicated, was the same as its child. Matthew. The guy's name was Matthew, only he was nowhere near as lovable and sweet as the eight-year-old one. Mari would have to spend its days be surrounded by this… person who did not deserve to be called that. The young man was an adult somewhere in his twenties, and he was as vile as they came. The Puppet just knew it. It internally prayed for Henry to go get his children sooner because it would much rather see its two angels than even acknowledge this "Matthew" was real. What a mockery of a human being- and no, the Puppet was not just hating for the sake of it. If any reasonable person would've come into contact with him, they would've reached the same conclusion. It just so happened that Henry was not that person, as he seemed to be willing to hire anyone who would sign up. A pity, really, because Mari would have to consciously ignore its prize partner or whatever Henry had called him instead of being glad it had help.

The Puppet shook itself to rid its mind of those intrusive thoughts. It would prefer not to get too caught up in meaningless pondering when today was such an important day. Its focus was needed elsewhere. But with so much free time on its hands the Marionette couldn't help wandering. That's what it always did. It was always thinking, for better or worse. Matthew, the boy, would probably laugh if he heard of the worries that plagued Mari. Good for him. He needed to smile more. From now on the Puppet would have no excuse not to make him smile, what with all of the attractions around the pizzeria. No, it'd be sure to make him happy, because he, and his sister, deserved it more than they could ever know. Because no one else treated Mari as more than a robot. Not even its creator was as good as his children were, since he refused to admit its sentience. Those two deserved the world for the simple fact that they included Mari as part of their family, and for that the Puppet could not be more grateful.

To not be discarded as just a "thing"… it was everything Mari could ask for. How fortunate it was to have them, how wonderous it was to get them to be a little happier every day… It swore to itself that they would be looked after for as long as it lived. That was the only real reason it was alive- it must've been. Without them, the Puppet had nothing.

No one to hold or laugh with, and no one to love and cherish. No one to live with…

Mari would be alone had it not been for its children. It owed it to them to be by their sides until its body rusted and would refuse to move. That was the least it could do.

"I promise you'll both be safe and happy." the Puppet spoke to thin air. Of course, there was no reply, but Mari felt more at ease as it vowed that. It's gaping maw shifted to reflect its current sentiments, and from the engraved wide grin the white ceramic morphed to form a small, yet sincere smile.

Nothing would stop it from gifting them their happiest day- the one they never got.

Nothing.

o0o

After Henry had left with Mari in the early morning, they'd fallen asleep on the couch cuddled together. A few of hours later they were awoken by the man who had returned to get them. Their sleep forgotten they got ready as fast as they could and got in the car. Once at the diner Henry had given them green wristbands to wear, much to Matthew's delight and dismay. Delight for the lore detail and the fact that they would grant him and Charlie special perks the man would let them discover, and dismay because of the tragic event associated with said lore significance. He'd banished the thought before it could bother him though. Today he'd have fun and not think of the greater things that were to come.

Once inside, Matthew had spent at least a couple of minutes admiring the diner's interior as Henry made himself unseen behind the stage's curtain. When the man had brought them here to visit the diner before renovations had started the whole place had looked awful. The smell, the mice that could be spotted running around if one paid attention- there'd been no other descriptor that fit besides nasty. It hadn't been an inviting atmosphere at all. Matt had felt as if he was back in the early 2010s, where, to him anyway, everything had felt more… raw, so to speak. Games, indie games to be specific, were not as flashy, and he'd felt as though he got to experience them once again, just in live action and without the jumpscares. The building that had become Fredbear's had been eerie and dreadful, and the state of abandonment it had been in gave it a nostalgic sort of ambience, the kind one would get from staring at pictures of liminal spaces.

Something to marvel at in the distant past that had been reduced to a forgotten memory, its whispers talking to all that would listen about its past. Amnesia, Slender: The Eight Pages, Cry of Fear and even the first FNaF had come to mind as he'd explored the run-down building with Henry and Charlie. That comparison might've been strange to many, but those were the kinds of things he'd grown up with, and so that was how he'd associated that little experience. And now all of it was gone.

There was no sense of silent dread as he walked inside. He just stood there for a while, staring at the checkered pattern on the walls, the party decorations that hung above, including the "Welcome!" sign near the entrance, the stars, the balloons, and the posters featuring both illustrations and actual photos of Fred and Bonnie in front of colorful backgrounds. It was magical, and so full of life even though only they, the employees and the Aftons were present.

A serene melody played over the PA system, further adding to the awe of being in a place such as this. To the left of the entrance there was the cash register/reception of the diner, where a young lady was stationed. Charlie, not being as transfixed as Matt, ran ahead, meeting up with Evan, Liz and Michael who were waiting by the first row of tables before them. Once her brother got out of his stupor he followed after her, greeting the receptionist woman as he passed by, chuckling upon noting her purple uniform. Well, it was cool to see that particular headcanon being proven right. It further explained why the bots confused the guards for their killer.

Just after the front desk there were a total of six tables that he guessed were meant for the parents and other adults. Those ones that were recurrent in small countryside restaurants with back-to-back velvet seats, or booths as they were more commonly called. To their right, on the opposite wall was the prize counter and corner. The counter itself was made out of glass to display the toys inside, but what got the boy's attention were the merch-littered shelves behind the employee that ran the area.

Those shelves were filled with pure fanservice. Everything from official t-shirts, masks of Fred, Bonnie and even Mari- holy shit he was getting that mask, to plushies, figurines and a dozen other goodies. It was fan heaven. Matthew was so stunned by it all that he had stopped to drool over the prizes. Forget the crap Funko merchandise from his own world, these things were the real deal. Oh, he knew how he'd spend the week. He would literally die if he did not get one of every single piece of merch that was there, no matter how crazy the prices for some of the rewards were. He was getting them and that was a promise. What was a little fifty thousand tickets? He couldn't let that small number intimidate him if he wished to call himself a true FNaF fan, no sir.

He heard a faint voice, perhaps Charlie's, calling out to him, but he didn't answer, still gawking at the fantasy before him. Besides the toys and everything else, squeezed between inflated balloons, there was a large TV in the upper left corner above the counter, which for the moment appeared to be turned off. On the counter's right rested a squared play area, where a big present box surrounded by tinnier ones sat on top of a dark blue carpet filled cheerful patterns. Over the box, attached to the ceiling, was a marionette's wooden cross, although no strings seemed to be attached to it.

As if the puppet inside had sensed him looking at it, the lid rose to reveal two emerald pinpricks peering out. He waved, and heard that all too familiar chime his friend used whenever it was feeling jolly. Matthew would've smiled at the Marionette inside had it not been for the counter employee, who'd mistaken his wave for one directed at him, and offered the boy a wave of his own. This could've been one of those unfortunate misunderstandings, but… that man, or guy, due to his young appearance, was just… wrong. There was something off about him. The way his upper body was leaned back, how he kept one hand in his pocket, those half-closed eyes of his and that grin... Matt had seen it all before. Somewhere, he'd seen this dude, but he could not put his finger on it. The face was not new to him, but his mind wouldn't supply him with the where.

Deciding it wasn't worth the stress, Matthew shook his head. He nodded once, a little awkwardly for his taste, and broke eye contact with the employee. The kids before him, bar Michael, all looked as though they had very important things they needed to tell him anyway. Among them, Evan was the one who could barely contain his excitement, which should not have surprised Matt. He was used to the boy being downcast or reserved most of the time, but when not manipulated by his older sibling Evan could be a really nice kid to be around.

"Isn't this place wonderful? It's so shiny and there are so many colors and games and toys!" the young Afton beamed up at him as Matthew reached the table they'd sat down to. It was the middle one out of a row of three tables, separated from, yet again, three other rows that were closer to the stage, this one being the farthest from it, just like in FNaF 4. Each one had ten seats. Doing some quick mental math, Matt reached the number one hundred and twenty. A lot of potential children for a restaurant that was portrayed as small in the games. Well, the 8bit nature of Scott's minigames didn't really show just how big Fredbear's was, since that section of the gameplay was 2D. That only added to its impressiveness however.

"Yup, your dad and Henry have outdone themselves. This uh, this is not how I thought it'd be, but man, this is gonna be a huge success. Like, everyone in town's gonna want to come here once people get wind of it." Evan titled his head in affirmation before glancing at the covered stage. Much like in the sign outside, the curtains were purple.

"I can't wait to see Fred and Bonnie! Father said we have to wait until the doors open though."

"Yeah, where is he by the-"

"Of course we have to wait. We might be the owners' kids, but it costs money to have those two act on stage. We can't get private shows, despite how sick they'd be." Michael spoke over him. At least he seemed to think the performance would be good. Who would've thought that of him? "Just be patient for a while longer, little man." Matt took a seat next to Evan as he watched the boy look down at the birthday cone in front of him.

"I wasn't impatient, but I can't help being eager to see them. They were so cool in the ad!" Ev's giddiness returned as he did a cute bounce in his chair, holding his fists to his chest.

"Obviously. No one can build better robots than daddy and uncle Henry." Liz crossed her arms on her younger brother's right, being very smug about it, and frankly speaking, Matt couldn't fault her. She had a right to be proud of what her father had achieved. And if the ad was anything to go by, Fredbear and Spring were gonna be the greatest robots ever built by man in terms of human movement and speech. It was kinda funny how a children's restaurant had more advanced robots in the 80s than NASA did until a while into the future. And that was not even taking into account the voice synthesizers the springlocks were equipped with, the only comparable technology to it being voice generators that hadn't managed to be perfected decades ahead, all sounding wonky to some degree.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around how our dads were able to afford all of this." Charlie gestured to their surroundings from her seat next to Michael. "I'm pretty sure dad doesn't have this much money."

"Mhm, and like, it wouldn't fit with the whole underdog upcoming entrepreneur spiel they have going on, you know?" Matt added to her statement in an attempt to convince the Afton siblings. Maybe they knew something as to what exactly their fathers did for a living. That had been a subject of debate since he'd come here, and the adults had only made it harder to deduce it. Almost as if what they were doing was illegal.

Heh, now that'd be a twist, but I don't really see Henry being like that. I mean, if I can tell William's putting on a mask it should be the same for Henry, and he doesn't strike me as the type to have anything damning to hide… Alright, most of the time anyway. When he's not breathing down my neck… which happens as often as Afton being a sane person… Ugh, screw that. We're not in Dayshift at Freddy's, so I'm not gonna take evil Henry as a plausible thing that can happen. Unless of course the universe decides to pull a curveball for shits and giggles.

"Our dads are just rich and they never told anyone about it." Elizabeth shrugged nonchalantly. It amused Matt a little since she might've gotten that impression from the favoritism/presents she received, or at least that's what Evan appeared to believe as he stared quizzically at her.

"I don't think I buy that but- eh…" Matthew made a so-so motion with his hand. Indeed, Henry sometimes seemed to sit on a boatload of cash that came from out of nowhere, so there may have been some credit to what Liz was saying, but then why take so much time to build Fredbear's and everything else? With a ton of capital as the girl suggested the location should've been up and running long ago.

"Hm. They're well off, and they spent most of their savings on this. You should see some of the stuff in the next room." Michael whistled as he pointed behind him to what was definitely the arcade area. "This place's going to be big for sure. We did a little exploring since we got here earlier and let me tell you, I counted about twenty-eight arcades, and that's not even the beginning."

"Twenty-eight!?" both Matthew and Charlie exclaimed in unison. It was a staggering amount. The commercial had said over twenty, but to almost reach thirty? In your first independent business venture no less? And you had even more? That was absolutely insane. For a location that was supposed to be the first in an up-and-coming franchise, Fredbear's packed a whole lor more than Matthew had expected. William and Henry had gone all out it seemed, and despite the lack of customers running around having fun due to the restaurant not yet being open, the excitement was still there. Serious props to those two. It took a great deal of determination to reach this level so early, and Matt couldn't help but admire the two men a bit more. The boy reluctantly agreed to himself that even William, despite the monster he was, did deserve some kind of applaud for helping to create this.

"What else is there?" Charlie asked for the both of them, curious to see if there was anything new that hadn't been mentioned in the ad.

"Uh, let's see… There's a ball pit, Pinball, Basketball, Skee-Ball, a lot of balls- ignore that- um, Air Hockey…" Mike coughed into his palm. "Some Foosball tables and uh, the rest- I dunno if I'm forgetting something, just go look."

"Oh, and the Whack-a-Mole and Claw Crane!" Evan interjected, raising his arm.

"Right, that. Good job, Evan." the boy smiled timidly at the simple praise from his brother.

"Phew, okay, that's a lot. Wasn't this a tiny restaurant? I'm not complaining but I never would've thought it'd be so… big." evidently, that was a poor choice of words as Michael audibly snorted like the preteen that he was. "Whatever, what do they work? They act like it's some sort of close guarded secret. Or at least Henry does so. We asked and he still didn't tell us." he changed the subject so the boy couldn't make an inappropriate joke around his brother. Allowing Evan to be corrupted was a big no-no.

"I think I heard dad say at one point that he was a… vice president? I don't know- manager of some distribution or electronic company, but he doesn't tell us either. He hasn't brought us to work with him or anything like that. Maybe when I was younger I might've been, but I can't remember. I guess that's just a normal thing though, it doesn't matter what our dads work so long as it's paying good." Matt nodded along, but only because he agreed with half of what she had said. The brainwashing was apparent, and while not knowing what your parent did for a living at the age of eight wasn't that big a deal, the signs that William was already subliminally controlling his kids were clear as day. And not just with Liz. Michael too. Evan was the sole Afton child that appeared to have his own wants that did not revolve around being pleasing to his dad.

"Uncle Henry mentioned to father that he sells and uh, rents? Yeah, rents his inventions to tech companies. Schematics and the like. He also works for a local one- freelance mostly- or well, did. He did everything from fixing hardware to writing software, and when there was a problem, he'd be like, the main person they'd call. But now they've both quit their jobs so they'd have time for Fredbear's and, uh, you four didn't hear that from me." they all agreed silently as Mike pointed his finger at them one by one.

"That seems kinda risky though. It- it sucks to be flat broke, and I don't wanna be a downer, but do they have a plan b? What are they gonna do if this blows up in their faces- not that it will, but…" while Fredbear's was almost sure to be a hit, it'd be better to be safe than sorry if something horrible were to happen. Betting your entire livelihood on a restaurant with no history was close to crossing the line into bad move territory, if Matt ignored canon. Sure, things had gone well there for the two men, but this was real life, and the success of a pizzeria chain could be impacted by loads of factors.

"I don't know. You'd have to talk to them. Father isn't the most forthcoming about his business. But I wouldn't worry, it's pretty much guaranteed that this place is gonna become the most popular in town, just cause there's nothing else that could compare. If people don't come here for the show they will for the games and food." the mention made Matthew sniff the air, noticing the aroma of pizza being prepared. There was in fact an Italian aspect to it if he focused, the kind that would only be familiar if one had spent some time in those European restaurants, which gave him hope that the pizza would at worst be decent. From the way she perked up, Charlie felt it as well.

"Is the kitchen started? This smell's making me hungry."

"Yeah, they have to prepare for the people that made reservations." Mike's insightfulness was a welcomed one, if unforeseen. It was unlike him to be so er... knowledgeable in this. Maybe he was just as hyped up as they were but did not know how to show it properly around them, so he instead took the role of explaining things to everyone. He did seem to have spoken more with his father about Fredbear's than his siblings did. It fit him, in a way. To be the older, wiser kid among them. He wasn't the oldest, of course, but it was a breath of fresh air to see him act more like the big brother he was supposed to be and not a complete asshole.

Matthew could recognize that it was wrong of him to expect Mike to be a jackass all the time, but the teenage Michael he knew was the one that put his crying brother into Fredbear's mouth, and Matt hadn't been around Mike nearly as much as he'd been around his siblings. So when he thought that Michael wasn't all bad, he really meant it. To some extent he liked the boy. He could be alright when he was not moody. And he made the effort to help Evan, despite it being by the misdirected way of their dad, whose plan was to only make things worse no doubt. He appreciated that Michael tried not to be a dick around them.

"Daddy called most of the staff in the back to help with Fred and Bon, but someone's gonna come take our orders soon. I can't wait to taste some of that Pepperoni pizza. What are you guys getting?"

Heh, Elizabeth's going with the classics. Well, you couldn't go wrong with those, but it was amusing that she always picked what was the most common when it came to food, if her behavior at school was to be considered. I'm pretty sure her favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla. Heh. Vanilla. Not that there was anything bad about choosing that, but it was just… kind of basic, really. A no-brainer. Was that an indication of her being superficial, he couldn't tell. He was very superficial himself, so he couldn't judge the girl.

"Uh, what's on the menu?" Matt asked the Aftons, who'd made up their minds from the looks of things.

"Literally anything you can think of, it's probably there, so just… pick any type of pizza you want." Michael rested his cheek in his hands as he dismissed the question. Well, Matthew had two types that he always ate above all others, and, like Liz, he was going with the simplest.

"In that case I'm getting Quattro Formaggi. You?" he directed his gaze towards his sister, who was having a deep internal debate with herself.

"Capricciosa for me." Evan made a face at that.

"Bleh, I hate mushrooms." the young boy shuddered. "How can you like that? You should get something like Margherita, that's what I want." Charlie just giggled at the funny face he made.

"See, Evan here is the only one that has any taste. Kudos to you for choosing my second favorite pizza, bud." Matthew shook the boy's hand, receiving a smile in return.

"You don't really like toppings, huh?" remarked Mike idly.

"Nah, pizza with nothing on top is best pizza. Why, what are you getting?" Michael froze as he posed the question. It shouldn't have taken him off-guard, but the older boy looked like a deer caught in headlights. The air around the table had gotten tense all of a sudden as they all focused on Mike, who was regretting bringing the subject up. He squirmed under their collective stare until he could not bear it anymore and gave in.

"…Hawaiian." he said as low as possible. Whatever they'd all thought he was gonna say could not have been farther from the truth. Matthew took back every good thought he'd had about Michael. Charlie had forgot how to blink as she looked up at the boy while he and Evan had their mouths wide open, each to different lengths. Elizabeth was the first to find her courage to speak, the poor girl.

"That's horrible, Mikey. Just… horrible. How could you?" she began, looking utterly disgusted with her brother.

"Mike, pineapple doesn't- it's- it tastes bad on pizza. It's acidic and sweet at the same time and- and-…" Ev was sure to have spotted a ghost from how his grimace, not being able to find the right words. It was audible in his voice. Neither kids were fairing any better than him though.

"Your bro's right. Fruit and cheese don't mix well together. T- That- it's terrible, dude. And I mean, if the guys that practically made pizzas wouldn't put pineapple on it… Like, I'm not even sure that is in the menu, if it's an all Italian one, ya know? You have to be a little out there to consider…"

Realization dawned on Michael. Of course Hawaiian pizza wasn't Italian, it was in the name. Now he felt stupid for having wanted to order that for the better part of the morning. He bowed his head, covering his face in his palms while groaning.

"Aw, don't be sad, Mike. You're bound to find something else. There're a lot of different types to choose from." Charlie patted her cousin's back. "But um… just… please stay clear of atrocity, for both your and our sakes. Kay?" she flashed him that unassuming smile of hers. Michael barked out a puff of air somewhere between a sigh and a disbelieving laugh. He rubbed his eyes before clapping his hands together in a motion of admittance.

"Bollocks…" he scoffed a final time. None of them could hold in their laughter anymore, so they all burst out crackling like madmen a moment later, making Michael rethink his life choices. "Screw you, guys."

Matthew would've made a no, you joke, but he opted to cut the other boy some slack. He had enough on his plate already. Still, Michael Slandering was becoming a favorite game very quickly. And this was nothing compared to the types of roasts Matt could cook up if given the chance. It'd be the perfect way to ruffle his feathers on every occasion he stepped over the line. Because if he was going to give Evan a hard time, he was going to burned. Hard.

"Hehe, now, for your information, we're not laughing at you, Michael, we're laughing with you, but if you wanna laugh with us… that's up to you." he managed to say through a few snorts. Mike rolled his eyes in response, crossing his arms, probably muttering a storm of curses under his breath. "For what it's worth, we're sorry."

"Yeah, totally."

The silence that followed stretched on for a while, only being broken by Evan's abrupt chuckling. Michael frowned, but found his own tiny smirk after listening to his brother having fun at his expense. He was fine.

Little by little people started to arrive and by 10:15 AM the dining area was teeming with children. Some were younger kids from school while a surprising amount were teenagers. Most had gone straight for the arcades with only a few being content to remain in their seats and chat amongst themselves. Matt, Charlie and the Aftons stayed at their table, occasionally greeting their colleagues. There were even some parents present, having taken in interest to see what all the fuss about Fredbear's was about. Henry was currently talking with a man that looked to be Carlton's father near the entrance. The redhead himself was nowhere to be seen, as was William.

Employees had taken their posts, answering questions and bringing out drinks to those that wanted something refreshing in the meantime. Matthew's group had ordered their pizzas, Michael going for Romana in the end, but found out it was not due to be served until 12 PM. It could be seen on everybody's faces that they were all psyched to see the animatronics in action. The commercial had gone splendid as many residents of Hurricane had booked reservations for today, one family even wanting to host a birthday party later in the afternoon according to Henry. In all likelihood, what sold people on the restaurant was the way in which the bots had moved in the ad. Those two had had character and had seemed alive, not just metal frames dressed in golden fur. There'd been a spark inside those robots not too dissimilar from Mari's, even though they were not actually sentient like it was. Perhaps it was Henry's passion shining through. Given where Matt was, it would not have been out of the ordinary for objects to appear alive if enough emotion had been used in their creation.

Well, Matthew was certain he was in for a treat. He didn't know what he'd see, but if the same personality from the commercial was going to be carried over into the show, he imagined it'd be close to the Rock-afire Explosion from his world. He hadn't seen those bots in action live, but he'd watched plenty of videos on their official YouTube channel, and he'd been amazed at how lively they were. He hadn't found them creepy, and compared to what Chuck E. Cheese put out those guys were above and beyond. So if the rudimentary animatronics from his world were incredible, he could not wait to see what those crafted by Henry could do.

"Everyone, please take a seat, the show will begin momentarily." William's voice rang over the PA system as if hearing his thoughts. The chatter in the hall had ceased for a moment before a portion of the kids made their way to their seats.

"Hear that, Evan? Bon and Freddy are gonna make their debut any minute now." the boy's face lit up like a Christmas tree. It was very cute how happy he could be when not bullied by his sibling.

"They were so cool in the ad- they're going to be amazing! I know it!" he squealed, sharing Matt's opinion too. Matthew would die from this much adorableness. Evan was just the sweetest little boy he'd ever seen. It was crazy how Mike could think to torment him.

"Oh, definitely. You remember Mari, right? Think of them like him, but being capable of talking." Evan paused but then nodded swiftly once he recalled Mari, and how it had acted when Matthew had taken him to his place that day.

"Where is Mr. Marionette though? Dad said he was going to be here as well but he didn't say if he'd be on stage. Will he?"

"Ah, nope. Mari's over there in that box." Matt turned to point towards the prize corner only to flinch when he felt something poking him in the ribs. "Ow, what the- Cass?" he saw the girl standing close to his chair having hid her hands behind her back. When had she come in? He hadn't seen her at all. And why hadn't Charlie, who was sitting in front of him, warned him that Cassidy was right there?... Of course, they were both in a teasing mood. Still, he would've preferred to be spooked in a less painful way- he was skinny as shit in this young body, why'd the girl have to take advantage of that?

Ugh, girls will be girls. This is karma for making fun of Michael earlier.

"Sup, dummy?" from how she was struggling to hold in her breath it was clear she'd found a great deal of enjoyment out of her little prank. Fritz and her, lately. Maybe she'd stop if he pointed that out. Cassidy would never want to act like him.

"Hey, Cass. I didn't see you there. How long have you been standing here?"

"Long enough to hear what you guys were talking about, and man, I gotta say, that commercial was freaking awesome. Your dads are actual geniuses! Anyway, is this seat free?" she gestured to the chair on his left.

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Thanks."

"Alright, so uh, you know Charlie and Liz. Grumpy over there is Michael, Liz's older brother, and-"

"-Piss off." the older boy cut him off, but Cassidy responded by giving Mike the middle finger.

"And this little guy is Evan. Evan, I've told you about her, this is Cassidy."

"It's nice to meet you." she greeted him nicely. Instead of replying immediately, he looked down for a second before back up at her, a small blush on his cheeks.

Dang, so he doesn't talk to girls at all at kindergarten, does he?

"Um… are you Matt's girlfriend?" the way he put the accent on the last word made both of the other girls to chuckle, and Michael to almost spit his drink as he bent to the side, covering his mouth.

"Heh, yeah, no, not really. I'm more like his nanny or something. I've to look after his butt every time we're together. He just- he's a wallflower, you know? All around clueless and helpless." Evan giggled, ignoring the look of betrayal Matthew was giving him.

"So, you're a fossil, is what you're saying." okay, if she wanted to play the slander, he could participate too.

"Watch it, dude." she warned by tilting her head and smiling warmly at him, while also pinching his knee in the spot that would hurt the most. "Fossils are the old ladies that sit at the desk all day and ask you to repeat yourself cause their hearing is bad. I'm nowhere near those."

"Hey, you said it first, don't blame me." Matt raised his hands in defense. Then he noticed how Charlie was smirking as she leaned back into her chair, arms crossed. "What are you so happy about?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just enjoying this, don't mind little old me." yeah, well, that did not stop him from sticking his tongue out at her, to which she did the same.

"Uh, you look really pretty, um… I like your dress…?" the red in his face intensified as he said so. He wasn't wrong, Cassidy did look good in the yellow dress she was wearing, but with how she felt about girly clothes, it was a wonder she'd come to Fredbear's in it.

"Thanks, but my mom chose it for me. I've to wear dresses for special occasions, she said." Cass rolled her eyes, making her displeasure known. "I mean, it's not like this is a restaurant where I'm probably gonna run around and stain it, but what do I know?"

"I- I still think it's nice. Um, so… there's that?" Evan assured her honestly. Now it was Matthew's turn to laugh.

Holly hell, this dude's on it! Evan, when'd you get so confident my man?

"Bro, keep going. At this rate, you may just get to first base with her." Matt spoke in a hushed tone.

"W- What's first base?" he asked in such an innocent manner, but sadly that did not deter Matthew from continuing. As long as Ev hung around him, he'd get to experience Matt's kind of demented humor. The boy sucked in a breath, shaking his head before whispering.

"Kissing."

That single word caused Evan to reel back, his eyes widened. His face looked as if it had been set on fire. He turned to his sister and buried his head in her shoulder, making a sound similar to a bleat.

"Matt!" he yelped, then directed his attention to Cassidy. "I- I'm n- not trying to uh- um- I-"

"Nah, it's fine. I'm not looking for a boyfriend anyhow." she waved his worry off. Matthew made a note of her purple wristband. He cringed internally at the irony.

"Um, yeah, y- you have Matt for that." Evan bit his lip to prevent his own smile from forming. Michael once again all but spat out his cola, while his sister made a very unladylike noise. Cassidy raised a brow at the courage Evan had, snickering at how he'd turned the situation upside down. Matthew however had closed his eyes and was stretching himself.

"Damn, these burns, Evan, I'm gonna need some aloe vera for them. Where'd they come from?"

"Mikey taught me!" he chirped, causing his brother to stare at him proudly. Michael nodded, offering his younger sibling a single wink.

"Good on you then."

"Just be careful not to say stuff like that with father around, Ev." Elizabeth took the chance to remind him.

"I will."

Matthew tuned out of the exchange as they kept on joking with each other. He took the moment to reflect on these sorts of interactions, and just how interesting it was as a fan to see and be a part of them. To learn more about these characters- people, and see them act outside of what the games and stories portrayed them as. He still couldn't fully fathom it, but he'd gotten more used to it. Nowadays he wasn't as put off by the people he'd seen on screen breathe and speak and have distinct personalities. The people he'd used to theorize about… that arguably had not been fleshed out enough in canon to get a sense of how they would act if they were to be real, a few exceptions notwithstanding. It was inexpressible to see Michael act as something other than an asshole, even if that's how he was most of the time, or to see Evan be happy and not cry at the slightest of sounds. Or Elizabeth before she got Babied. The fandom had been left to fill in the gaps for the expanded relationships these kids had, and Matt was positive many would've lost their minds if they saw those they shipped together such as Evan and Cassidy hold a conversation outside of Golden Freddy… The sole reason he was still sane was because he'd gotten to know both of them in advance.

Slowly but surely kids finished their games, a couple exchanged their tickets for different prizes, and sat down, anxious to watch the two main stars' premiere. The lights in the room dimmed in sink with the silence that settled over the audience, with only the odd murmur being heard from the impatient folk. The PA system had stopped transmitting its music, and was now dead quiet. All breaths were cut as the stage lights focused in on the center of the curtain. This was the moment everyone was waiting for. More than a year of work culminated in this- all of Henry's late nights spent in his workshop and basement were about to pay off. It would either blow expectations out of the water or it'd be a flop, although Matthew preferred to bet on the former. A quick glance at Evan revealed the boy to be rigid in his chair, his small fists squeezed shut at his mouth. Elizabeth, despite having the most energy out of all of them, was as calm as she could be, her face not betraying any emotion besides anticipation. Charlie shared her feelings, but hers were clear thanks to her giddiness. Even Michael was paying close attention, refusing to take his eyes off the stage, as if he owed it to someone to look. Maybe he did. As for Cassidy, she appeared intrigued if nothing else, and a tad skeptical, but she too was outwardly absorbed in the suspense.

The tapping of something came from behind the curtain, then the vague hiss of pistons accompanied by the whine of motors. Padded footsteps walked around on the wooden podium. Guitar strings were struck in test, singing a country-esque rhythm melody, before stopping without warning. A voice whispered, sounding reasonably worried.

"What? Don't tell me you're getting cold feet already, Bon."

"I'm not." the other assured instantly, its tone wavering. "It's just… Look at them. There's so many… I thought this was gonna be a smaller gig, ya know?"

"Well, you should've read the full thing. It's too late to back out now, especially after you gave your signature. And I mean, what're the younglings going to think if they see us quit, hmm?"

"No one's quitting, pal. I just… I'm a little overwhelmed is all."

"That just won't do. C'mon, Spring, this isn't your first time on stage. We practiced, and we've a job to do. You know we can't let those frowns stay, we have to turn them upside down! So, are you ready…?" the rabbit did not respond at first. From the sound of things, it inhaled before giving their partner an answer.

"…You know what? I am."

The curtains opened, and the lights switched colors from white to blue.

"Snowy nights and Christmas lights,

Icy windowpanes,

Make me wish that we could be

Together again." Fredbear began, microphone in hand, his synthesized voice undiscernible from a real one. With each lyric his free hand would move along with the song, following its flow as the bear gazed from person to person, his eyes closing to put emphasis on certain words.

"And the windy winter avenues

Just don't seem the same,

And the Christmas carols sound like blues,

But the choir is not to blame.

But it doesn't have to be that way." Springbonnie handled the instrumental, his fingers striking the strings on his guitar, somehow being in sync with the beat. To Matthew's eye it did not quite look like Bonnie was actually playing- the melody was most likely coming from hidden speakers, but he was at least programmed to match his movements to the instrumental's. He kept his eyes closed as he performed with his partner, his head bobbing along, bowing or swinging from side to side in accordance with the music.

"What we had should never have ended.

I'll be dropping by today.

We could easily get it together tonight.

It's only right." each twist and turn was fluid, and the jitteriness that was common within animatronics was nowhere to be seen in those two. They did not lack range of motion either, everything from Bon's long ears to their fingers and feet bending together without fail. It was perfect. There was no delay between them, only a projected passion, but a passion nonetheless. One that shined throughout the entire restaurant, leaving mouths agape and eyes locked onto the stage.

"Crowded stores, the corner Santa Claus,

Tinseled afternoons,

And the sidewalk bands play their songs

Slightly out of tune." it was magical. Because those two did not appear as just robots. No, to everyone watching there was a spark of life that radiated from their figures. In their cheerful expressions and their little dance, it was as if there were souls floating beneath that golden fur. Like they were humans dressed as mascots, but they were not. Their voices and their gestures- they were all authentic to them, and special, because of the life they had imbedded. The genuine love for the craft could be felt after each verse sung.

"Down the windy winter avenues

There walks a lonely man,

And if I told you who he is,

Well, I think you'd understand.

But it doesn't have to be that way." the chorus was repeated a second time, with the third adding one more lyric to finish it off.

"No, it doesn't have to be that way.

What we had should have never ended.

I'll be dropping by today.

We could easily get it together tonight.

It's only right…" as fast as it had started the song soon came to a close. It hadn't been anything outlandish or too extreme. Just a nice little appetizer for what was to come. A neat number to start the day with, and that had been enough, because if there was someone that might've been hesitant at the start of the song that someone had easily changed their opinion by this point.

If the staff were waiting for reactions, they would not get any, but not due to nobody enjoying the act. In fact, it was the opposite of that, if the stunned yet smiling faces were to be trusted. The performance had been enjoyed, but the audience had simply been left speechless. No one, not even Matthew, who was the most familiar with this type of thing out of all the children present, knew how to react. Because such a thing had never been witnessed before, or at least not to this level. This day marked the start of the animatronic craze of the 80s, and silence was people's honest reaction to it, since to the man of the 80s all that had happened in the past two and a half minutes was comparable to Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. Not on the same scale of humanity achieving something never thought possible, but witnessing something that shouldn't have been possible.

What had just been seen was pure, actual fantasy that came to life, because no one, nowhere had managed to replicate this. And to people that weren't as desensitized to technology, Fredbear's had just become a miracle on earth. One that sat right in their neighborhood, where all could come watch the spectacle. It was not some unachievable dream, this had been real, and that fact was about to make both parents and kids go berserk.

Matt looked to the back of the entrance where the adults sat, confirming that they too had been paralyzed in place. He didn't see Henry among them, but if the man was watching through the cameras that were set throughout the building, Matthew felt he'd be proud of himself. To know that his dream had been realized, with just a short introductory song.

Unperturbed by the absence of feedback from the spectators, Fred and Bonnie went about their business, keeping the show going. The bear took a second to collect himself, then nodded to the public. He cleared his throat, moving his microphone in the other hand and shaking the former as if it had gotten tired from having to hold the object. Spring strapped his guitar over his shoulder and fixed his bowtie, looking very pleased with himself.

"In the spirit of Christmas that we, unfortunately, missed, we decided to start with a classic. It Doesn't Have to Be That Way by the late Jim Croce." Bon raised his hand at that, speaking over his partner.

"For the record, I suggested we start with something from the King himself but Fred here said we ought to stick with the Christmas spirit-" the rabbit air quoted. "-even though that's mostly gone by now."

"Oh, don't start with that again. So what if we missed Christmas Eve? No one minds celebrating it twice, just ask the younglings. Who doesn't love a time for laughter and presents? I know I certainly love it. With that in mind, remember to head on over to the prize corner for a free gift as a welcoming present, kiddos!" Fredbear turned towards his viewers, holding a finger up. "And just for today, bear in mind that all ticket prices for the merchandise have a thirty percent discount, so make sure to collect as many as you can for some awesome rewards!"

"Yeah, see, I can agree on that. Ya gotta get all the goodies before they're gone- not that they will be gone, but you get what I mean. You have the opportunity, you take it." Fred nodded curtly, glancing at the front tables before focusing back at the rabbit.

Matthew looked at Cassidy for a second while Springbonnie was talking, wanting to see how she was doing. Like all of the kids she was listening in with fascination, but there was also a sense of caution in her eyes. The boy didn't blame her. He could never know how hard and weird it must be for her to be in the same room as the character that was her killer. She was used to putting up a front of toughness, but under that exterior Matt knew these things got to her. That being said, he was happy for Cass for putting her uneasiness on the backburner and enjoying the show. It proved just how strong the girl was, and he was thankful he could call her his friend.

"Hm, yes, you're right, but I still don't get why you didn't want us to sing about Christmas."

"I just said, old pal. We missed it, didn't we? So might as well delight our listeners with something cool, like a… tune from Elvis, but you insisted we don't do that, so here we are." okay, their interaction was actually incredible. Matt liked to think it mirrored Henry's and William's relationship somewhat, given how Fred was more on the family fun side while Bonnie seemed to want to go with the trends. An opportunist, much like his creator. It wasn't hard to imagine the two men arguing about what the first song should be and then, through a stroke of brilliance, deciding to include that into the dialogue. It made Matthew chuckle to himself to think that these two characters were actually the OCs of two grown men. Wasn't that a silly little thing? As funny as it was however, Henry and William did deserve his respect for making their original characters into a reality. And who would've ever known that William liked Elvis Presley? That was phenomenal.

"Eh, I wouldn't have really fit with the whole lowered prices that the bosses were planning, at least for our first song, and it's not like we'll only be singing Christmas carols and what-have-you all day. We can sing some Elvis if you want."

"Alright, that's what I like to hear. You can't start a singing show without including some Elvis. He's the King, after all."

"Uh, yeah, you're right, point for you. In any case, we went with this for the Christmas spirit, and- speaking of which, what does it mean to you, Bon?" the golden rabbit paused at the question, holding his chin in deep thought.

"Well… I guess money?" Fred raised a brow, his upper torso moving back in mock surprise.

"Money? So, you're a materialistic person, is what you're saying?"

"Pretty much. I mean, you can't exactly buy presents and stuff without it. I'd rather have some capital to count and buy whatever I wish instead of being disappointed my gift wasn't what I wanted." Spring scratched the back of his head.

"Santa doesn't need money for presents though."

"Sure, but we're not talking about Santa, we're talking about the folks that want a little extra, ya know? The cherry on top. Like me. That's how I see it anyway."

"Mhm, um, for me it'd be uh… More casual activities, like spending time with the family, relaxing with a glass of honey in hand, having a whole lotta berries to eat and just having some good old fun."

"Uh huh."

"I've this tradition where I try to go back home to visit Ma during the holidays if my schedule isn't full, and we catch up, I play with my nephews, listen to music, all that good stuff. The point we're trying to make-" they both turned in the children's direction. "-is that the Christmas spirit means different things to different people."

"Exactly. Maybe to you it means getting a car once you graduate, or eating until you're full, or going to see that new movie that came out- whatever it is, what matters is that you have fun, and enjoy yourself, provided it doesn't hurt anybody. Which is why our next song for today will be about the expression of self."

"Indeed. Here, Bon, it's your turn to take the lead." Fredbear exchanged instruments with Springbonnie, action that was practically unheard of even by Matthew. More and more was his opinion of Henry being raised as the man's innovation and intellect was displayed better with each line of dialogue uttered. The restaurant business could never hope to do Henry's skills justice, and while many would see the potential wasted in such a venture, Matt could admit the fact that all that mattered was if Henry was enjoying this. His engineering capabilities were not nearly as important as the man feeling happy with his work, and in Matthew's opinion no one should be allowed to take that from him regardless of what he could create.

"Think you're any good outside of vocals?" the rabbit challenged smugly as he inspected the mic, tapping it for test.

"Hoho, don't make the mistake of underestimating me, old friend. I'll rock and roll like you never seen before." Fred froze for an instant as he said so, shifting to look at the public in alarm. "Um, we're not exactly going to sing rock, don't worry! This is a family friendly restaurant!" the golden bear reassured the parents in the back of the dining room.

"Enough talk, pal. Let's get this show started. I'm ready when you are."

"Ready." Fred said without missing a beat.

And so it went. The two anthropomorphic animals would banter and sing, cracking jokes and making fun of each other. The time flew so fast when Matthew was listening to what they were saying that he cursed his perception of it, wanting to be able to savor this moment for as long as he could. The show continued, suffering no glitches or unforeseen consequences. Fred and Bonnie trying to one-up the other in their made-up competition for who could sing better. It was only in the downtime where they'd speak more than they sung that Matthew would be able to reflect on their appearances.

Springbonnie was identical to his game counterpart, minus the red or black colored bow tie. His body parts were segmented like all springlock robots, his eyes were a vibrant shade of green, and of course he had eyelashes. Why would he not? The gender confusion had to be kept going even after so long. And truthfully speaking, it was more fun that way.

Fredbear meanwhile was… strange. His body shape was a combination between the UCN Fredbear and a fixed Nightmare Fredbear. His size and roundness would've let Matthew to believe he was just Nightmare Fredbear reskinned, but that could not be farther from the truth. Yes, he was big and bulky, but he was nowhere near FNaF 4's Fredbear's massive proportions. His facial structure looked like the template for the FNaF one bots while the rest of the body was a fatter version of Golden Freddy, one that thankfully was devoid of the brown patches on the fur that could be found on the fourth game's model. Why'd Scott think that idea was a good one, dear Lord... For accessories the bear wore a matching tie to his friend, but also included the all-famous hat. An iconic piece of clothing in the franchise that would become a staple, given how almost every iteration of Freddy would have one.

Their overall designs were friendly and approachable. Gone was the scare factor or the unsettling nature of something that was too alive for an object and too dead for a living being. The uncanny valley wasn't there from these two, and for that Matt was over the moon, since it meant that the very young kids would not get traumatized if they happened to see the animatronics. The cheery voices and nonrobotic movements only boosted their realness, and subsequent appeal to a grander audience. Perhaps the fact that they were in use helped with that also. It may have changed if the bots were to be powered down, staring into nothing, but when in full light the boy would go as far as to say that they were beautiful, in a tech savvy/nerdy fan sort of way. The broader potential they had was undeniable, and Matthew couldn't wait to see where this went.

On top of that, it was heartwarming to see the crowd of children get braver, laugh and be more involved. No longer where they statues impassive and indifferent to the spectacle. Now they had the spunk to talk amongst themselves as they'd done earlier today.

"Hear that, Bon? Our legally required break is up. I'm afraid we'll have to cut this short, kiddo. Wouldn't want the bosses to get in trouble for- heh- forced labor." the bear chuckled to himself while shaking his head.

"Sounds like it. Have fun in the meantime! Remember to check out the prize corner for a free gift! We'll be back shortly!" the two waved as the curtains slowly pulled to cover the stage and the lights went back to normal. The PA system buzzed with ambient music and William took the chance to speak through it.

"Fredbear and Springbonnie will be back right on time for pizza. Feel free to enjoy yourselves at the arcades while they are gone. Thank you." static marked the end of the transmission.

A commotion of praise was immediately caused as the energy the kids had accumulated in the past hour had reached its boiling point. Almost all of them left their tables to run around, discussing how incredible the animatronics had been, many going for the arcades while a few dared to go get their gratis presents. Matthew rested his hands on the back his head, having been blown away the moment the bots had begun talking.

"Uh… I dunno about you guys, but um… yeah, I've no real words. I think this is where I'll spend most of my free time."

"You know, when this dummy here told me your fathers were brainiacs I didn't really buy it, but after seeing that… I just have to ask... How come they aren't working for NASA or something like that? They'd be great rocket scientist." Cassidy asked his sister and the Aftons.

"I guess it's not for them. But not even we knew it was going to be like that. I'd say the wait's been worth it though." Mike added his two cents, doing a better job than them at hiding his shock.

"More than worth it. It was just- amazing. Dad was always talented at building robots and stuff, but if you had asked me if he was going to be able to do this like, a year ago, I would've said no." ah, it was nice to see some of Charlie's recent resentment for her father disperse. It didn't suit her to stay mad at him forever.

"I know father spent a lot of nights in his workshop tinkering, and it's kind of sweet to see that work come into fruition after so long. I love it!" Liz piped up cheekily.

"What do you think, Evan." at the mention of his name the boy looked up at Matthew but did not reply in words, instead opting to nod. The poor boy had lost his voice from how mindboggling this must've been for him. "Welp, uh- I think I'mma go play at the arcades. Anyone want to come with?" he said as he rose from his chair.

"Sure." Cass agreed right away.

"Anybody else?"

"I'm good, thank you." Elizabeth declined politely.

"Maybe I'll come a little later. I've to do something first." the secrecy from Mike was unusual, but he didn't pay it much mind. Brushing that aside, Matthew looked at his sister, who shook her head.

"Arcades aren't really my thing. Dad said they hand out papers and crayons so I'll ask for some because I want to draw Bonnie. Have fun!"

"You too. Ev?" the young Afton considered it, then got up as well, smiling. "Okay, so, if we're gonna do this we need tokens first, right?" Cassidy shrugged while Evan merely watched Matt questioningly.

"Don't look at me, I'm not the tech guru here. Never played arcades since there weren't any around, till now."

"You don't have to be a tech guru to- forget about it. Anyway, yeah, those are what we need, and we get them from the counter." Evan pulled on his sleeve once they got in front of the counter.

"Um, what's a token? Is it like… a coin?" he asked, breaking out of his startled state.

"Kinda, yeah. You exchange them for money and with them you can play at the arcades. If you have, say, five tokens, you could play any of the games for five rounds, or the same game five times, whichever."

"But… we don't have money."

"We don't need any if we got-" he would've pointed to his wristband if he hadn't recalled that Cassidy had one too, hers not being the same as theirs. "-wait, what about you?" catching on, the girl raised her left hand.

"I'm fine. Mom said she bought the most expensive deal, and that this'll let me get things on the house, so don't worry about it."

"Oh. Alright then... So uh, is there anything you guys want to get." the boy gestured towards the merch filled shelves. "Might be better if each of us settles on something so we can have an idea of how many times we'll have to play."

Evam hummed while glancing over every toy, shirt, or plushie. The generic, off brand toys in the glass counter were the cheapest, none going over a couple hundred tickets. Then came the shirts that featured official art including the restaurant's logo and so on, those costing a capped one thousand tickets. After that there were the mask, which Matt had sworn he'd make a point to get. The Puppet mask that he was after was identical to Mari's porcelain face in shape, color and detail, but was most likely made out of hard plastic. Still, just for the accurateness he was deadest on getting it. If only merch like this had existed in his world- oh, kids would've gone bonkers at the idea. Parents would've raised their torches and pitchforks to get FNaF banned just so their brats would stop begging to be bought merch. Matthew wouldn't have blamed them. The younger fans were especially crazy, for a franchise full of murdered children no less. Things were funny like that.

Maybe he shouldn't complain, since he knew he'd act the exact same if he were to be younger. Although who wouldn't when faced with this much high-quality merchandise? Even the Fredbear and Springbonnie masks were fantastic. And they only costed ten thousand each. Not too expensive with the discounts and special perks. But he wasn't interested in the golden duo ones- he wanted his Marionette mask. Because really, no one was a bigger Puppet fan than him.

Had he ever told his jester friend just how big of a Puppet simp he was? He didn't think so, but he had mentioned when explaining the lore to Mari how, design wise, it and Springtrap were his favorites. It wasn't that he was thirsty after them, he simply found them to be really neat compared to the rest of the uninspired FNaF cast. Both in their backstories and appearance. So one could imagine Matthew's thrill at the fact that the Puppet was one of, if not his closest friend. What with it staying with him to keep the nightmares at bay during the night… He was still caught up on the fact that he had to be taken care of like a baby, but Mari wouldn't have it any other way if it meant he could sleep a little better.

That reminded him… today would be the first day in which Mari would have to fly home from the diner and come in through the window to do just that. Matt resisted a snort at the thought.

Bird Mari…

Thinking about the Puppet flying randomly at night would never not be hilarious to him.

Nevertheless, there were two more things to choose from if he managed to get the Marionette mask early. The figurines and the plushies. The former were more like YouTooz statues, just not as cute, but still very adorable. One was of Mari being raised halfway outside of its box and holding out a gift. The others were of Fredbear striking a cool pose while singing and Bonnie's had him playing his guitar like a true rockstar. All of them used a round black disc as a base. Matt would've liked to get one of those, but they were in the double the prices of the masks. Even with the opening day discount and his green bracelet benefits he didn't think he'd have enough time to gather the tickets all in one day. If Fredbear's functioned like any other arcade however, he should be able to keep the tickets he'd win and stack them up at a later date, so he wasn't concerned. He'd get those figurines some other day.

But the plushies… Yeah, no, they sat at a whopping fifty thousand tickets per piece. An astronomical number, but one that was worth it. It'd take him weeks to gather the tickets necessary though, and he wouldn't have the thirty percent reduction in price. He wouldn't let that stop though. Because this Puppet plushie that he was looking at was just… leagues better than the one Funko had put out. Funko, in their cheapskate cash grab mentality, had used the regular Freddy mold for the Puppet's body type, which did not fit it at all. They'd made the mask out of a latex material that felt/looked horrible, and they'd reduced the white stripes to thin lines, despite them being very prominent in the Puppet's design. They had refused to account for the Marionette's more curved proportions, resulting in the end product being hideous. But this… God bless, this was heavenly.

"I'm going with the bear mask." spoke Cassidy all of a sudden. "You boys?" she asked, her gaze having yet to move from the shelves.

"I would've liked to get the Fredbear plush, but those are a lot of zeros… I want a mask too." Ev answered her, content with getting the next best affordable thing.

"Um… Matt?" the girl's friend did not hear her. He wasn't blinking, and his jaw was hanging loosely, a bit of drool going down his chin. "Hey, earth to dumbass." she fluttered her hand in front of him to no avail.

"Look at those curves… The thinner waist, the slim build, the tasteful thickness of the forearms, how those legs are chubby but get pointier at their end. Those cute stubby little fingers, the immaculate seams, the hard buttons- oh my God, it even has patches for the makeup." Matthew trailed off, unaware of the world around him, or the lid of his friend's box being slightly open. How much money had Henry and William spent to produce plushies of this quality in bulk? No wonder they were penniless, if they'd put this amount of love into their brand. Kids would give their every quarter to buy tokens to win as many tickets for this kind of merch.

"…What?" to describe how put off she felt would be a task Cassidy didn't think she could complete. A single chime was heard, which was the thing that finally broke the boy out of his trance. He wiped his mouth, snapping his head in her direction. Unbeknownst to the three children, the top of the Marionette's box snapped shut.

"You say something?" it took Cass a second to collect herself, sighing when she did.

"Yeah, what do you want to?"

"Oh, uh, the Puppet mask."

"You mean that thing." she motioned to the round white one with the big smile, lipstick, and red cheeks. Her friend nodded. "Hm… so that's what Charlotte's father's robot looks like? Not what I expected. Alright, cool."

Matthew rang the bell that was on the counter, signaling to the employee that they were ready to ask for their tokens. The young man did not look very interested as he played with his nails, slowly getting up from his chair like he was ninety years old. Wearing a brown cross necklace and string bracelet besides his purple uniform, the guy put his hands in his pockets so that only his thumbs would stick out and smiled at the kids.

"What's up? Got any tickets for me so I can give you prizes?" his voice was as irritable as they came, and the almost sarcastic way in which he talked made Matthew unable to look over his creepiness from earlier in the day as just a misunderstanding. Just from this one sentence the boy knew this guy was a prick.

"Uh, no, we were wondering if you could give us some tokens, sir? Ten- is ten fine?" he confirmed with the other two.

"Mhm."

"Yup."

"Yeah, kay, ten tokens for each of us, please."

"Mind showing me your wristbands first?" they did as he asked. The dude muttered under his breath- Matt had a feeling it was a curse- and reached beneath the counter where he counted their thirty tokens before handing them over. "Enjoy."

"Thank you." there was this nagging in the back of Matthew's head, telling him he'd seen this person before, but the longer he studied his face to try and figure out who he was, the more freaked out the boy got over the stare down that ensued. For some reason, the employee maintained eye contact, still grinning like an idiot, and refusing to tell them to get lost. His shit-eating smile could rival William's, that's how horrifying it was. Revealing pearly white teeth, it stretched out to his ears, hiding the fakeness that lived within this person. Not evil, like Afton, but just… abnormal. Like there was something seriously wrong with the him. No doubt were Evan and Cassidy also getting bad vibes from this guy, but they did not comment on it, and neither did Matt look at them to see their reactions. By pure chance Matt's eyes found his nametag, too uncomfortable to keep the staring contest up… It read Matthew… As if a fog had been lifted off of his mind, the boy recognized who the employee before him was. "Um, u- uh, sir, this may sound weird but… does your name happen to be… Matthew Virginia?"

"YES!" he shouted happily, startling them. He was lucky the room was already loud, otherwise all eyes would've been on him. His smile turned more genuine too, as if knowing his name was this crowning achievement. But that was not what made Matt freeze on the spot. That would be the affirmation that yes, this man was in fact Matthew Virginia. Now, to the uneducated that would not be cause for concern- after all, this was just another rando doing his job, except that Matthew Virginia was not someone native to this universe. Or he shouldn't have been. Because he, more commonly known as just "Matt", was a-

-A fucking PNG that appears in Dayshift at Freddy's. Why in the name of Jesus is this guy here?!

"Uh, what- h- how are-"

"-I see that my reputation precedes me, but please, no Virginia. Currently my name's Miller. Er, you know how it is if you've hung around town, better safe than sorry." he started rambling, sounding more like a caricature with an air of superiority than a real human being. And no, Matt had no clue as to what he was referring to. "…Uh, I'm gonna assume that look is because you don't know what went down, so if you are asking yourself why I'm here. See… the thing is-" he leaned over the counter, whispering so as to not be overheard in the still noisy room. "-after the boys in blue busted Tones and Jonny kicked the bucket, I had to go legit, and now here I am, making an honest living. If you're looking for the good stuff I… can't really sell ya any, at least not today. I'm sticking around this joint for the pay, which thankfully is pretty generous- I was sick of minimum wage jobs- so I'm trying to not get fired on my first month, since I'm gonna need that cash to buy more. But. We can work things out if ya want. All you have to do is get me as many of them tickets as you can and I can trade ya under the counter. Say… in a week or two. No one's gotta know, and it'll be our little secret. I mean, trust me, kid. I get how it is to not be able to blow a stick cause the main guy that was dealing got busted, but I got your back, cause I know what you're going through. So what do ya think, we got a deal?"

Most of what the guy had said flew over Matthew's head, the boy being a bit too taken aback to listen. Cassidy meanwhile was having none of his bullshit and decided it was time for the three of them to leave because clearly, they were not talking with a normal person.

"Nope, we gotta go! Thanks for the tokens. Bye." she grabbed onto her friend and Evan, dragging them off.

"A raincheck? Alright, some other time then. Let me know when you kids are feeling up to it." the girl did not respond as she led the two into the next room over.

"I don't know what the heck that guy was on about, but he's super off. Like, which one of your dads let him in here? And how come you knew him?" it was not often that he heard Cassidy fret over anything, which put things into perspective.

"I uh, heard about him as this kind of uh… troublemaker or whatever, but- I don't know. He was saying stuff about the… police? Busting his friends? That's what I got anyway, but man… Yeah, let's just stay away from him. I don't know how or why he's here- um, works here, but… he's bad news." he wouldn't even pretend to try and understand why he existed here. And fortunately, in this case Matt from DSaF was not a threat to anybody. Perhaps sketchy and meanspirited, yes, but not dangerous from the interaction they'd had. Matthew would honestly put him as the closest to his virtual self than anyone else he'd met here. Of course, it was too soon to make a definitive call on him, but for now he was not the main thing to worry about.

"Agreed. Crap, he started talking and I felt like ripping my hair off. Ugh." Cassidy shivered, earning a sympathetic smile out of Evan.

"It's okay, we don't have to talk to him if we don't have to." he tried, but the girl leaned her head in skepticism.

"It's more that he'll talk to us than anything…" she sighed, perfectly encapsulating Matthew's feelings. "Know what? Who cares about him, let's just- forget that happened and move on."

This was one of the things he liked about her. Cassidy did not dwell too much on the past. If it was of little to no consequence and could be ignored than she'd do so with no regrets. It was a quality few possessed, and on some basic level he envied her for it. That said, it also made the girl an invaluable friend to have, and Matthew was thoroughly grateful for their friendship.

Plus, Cass did not even know how right she was. This had been unpredicted, but he wasn't here to add to his stress, and neither were they, so the best thing to do, as she put it, was to not focus on it and have some fun. That's why they were here in the first place. In a certain senator's words; they were making the mother of all omelets, meaning they couldn't fret over every single egg.

Ah, maybe that's isn't as good of an analogy as I thought, but it works. Better look forward to what the future held than reflect on events one couldn't change. And right now, that future was enjoying his time with his friends. Also- Goddamn this place is big! The boy thought at the sight of the arguably massive room. It was like half the size of the whole diner, and filled with games. Just from the faces of all the other kids surrounding them he knew they'd have a blast.

o0o

Mari was not holding its face in embarrassment. Nuh uh. Matthew had not just gone ahead and said those… compliments. That might not be the right word, but… the Puppet couldn't be convinced to acknowledge them. It shouldn't even think about them. Because they were aimed at the plush version of itself, not the real… No, no, no, nope. No. Those erratic jingles coming from its chest speaker were also not happening- bless its creator for making its box insulated. It was all in the Puppet's imagination…

Oh, who was it kidding? Of course that had happened. If Mari had been human its face would've been flushed red. It hated how easily it could get flustered, a fact discovered by its boy not that long ago when he had "confronted" the Puppet after spotting it watching him through the window at the Afton household. Mari thought it had made a mistake by getting caught, and had expected its child to be mad about the justifiable decision to… stalk him. That wasn't the right word either. Mari had only had Matthew's best intentions at heart, and it was not like the Puppet was following him everywhere. Just quick checkups from time to time, to see how he was doing. It wouldn't have even flown to the Afton house if it hadn't known William was there. Was Mari being too protective? Perhaps, it was willing to admit that maybe it was pushing it, but then if something had happened, and Mari had remained home while knowing how dangerous Afton was… the Puppet wouldn't have been able to ever forgive itself.

Its child had surprised it however, by not being ticked off for it being cautious. He hadn't liked it, but he'd understood, and he did not fault it. Mari had thanked him. It did not want to hide such things from him, but Matthew was still a child- a troubled one at that, however smart. He himself had recognized he wouldn't be able to do this on his own. That was Mari's role in this entire ordeal. To look out for him. If nothing else, it was the least the Marionette could do… And while it was sorry for doing what it did, and had promised it would tone it down a notch, Mari would do it again. It would keep its promise to not be as extreme, but nothing more.

Because the world it inhabited was an unpredictable one, and Afton was just one of many monsters that wouldn't hesitate to cut down those that stood in their path. In a way, the Puppet was similar to that vile man, because it too would go to those lengths if it meant the two siblings under its care would live. Deep down it was glad Matthew hadn't asked for it to stop entirely, because there was no way it could have.

Mari would've preferred this to not be found out, because at the end of the day it wanted to keep its child safe more than anything, and it would do whatever was necessary to achieve that. And if Matthew were to be frustrated or angry with that, it would understand, because unlike him, there were few lines the Marionette wouldn't cross. Mari would apologize a million times if it ever came down to it- for breaking his trust, it knew how horrible of a caretaker that made it, but if it had to do it again to protect him it would. The Puppet did not mind being horrible so long as its children were safe. They could hate it for being so, and they could push it away- it'd be happy if they decided to do that, because in that worst case scenario the Marionette might've been too risky for it to be in their presence, but all of that would not stop the Puppet from protecting them.

It could do it from the shadows if it had to. All that mattered to it was for them to be happy, and it wouldn't care about sacrificing its own friendship with them in order to maintain that happiness. One could argue that was hypocritical, because a severed friendship could hurt its children more than anything else, but Mari wasn't… Mari wasn't like them. A human. It had human traits, but it wasn't like them. It could never live like them. The Marionette was an object given life, and for that reason it was not as important as them, in its mind.

Charlotte and Matthew… they would grow old and have families of their own and so forth, while Mari would stay the same, its supernatural existence a curse that would make it rot away with time. The Marionette was an object, and objects were forgotten. If something happened to it- if it betrayed them, and they would want nothing to do with it, it'd be abandoned. They would hurt, but eventually they would move on, because that's just how resilient those two angels were. So, considering that fact, the Puppet wasn't afraid of letting itself fade away in their memories, because at some point they would heal, and they would be happy. And that was enough for Mari to keep going, knowing that at some point they'd forget about how terrible of a guardian it had been, and live their lives with joy.

The Marionette would betray their trust in order to let them live. That was a certainty. Mari abhorred itself for it, but there was nothing that would change its fate…

Sadly, the Puppet could not be perfect, even for them. It recognized its flawed thinking, and wished it could change it, but if there was no other alternative- not one that it could see anyway… what could it do but be flawed and attempt to do its best? All anyone could do in this life was try their best for what they believed was right. Mari believed those two, and the other children, had to live. At all costs. Because what had happened in the previous timeline could not be permitted to happen twice. It wouldn't allow such suffering to persist. For as long as Mari was still functional, all the little ones would live. It-…

…Mari bowed its head. It tended to spiral out of control when alone with its thoughts. It couldn't sleep to get rid of them, and so its constant worry would amplify them. The Puppet was always thinking… and its new life at Fredbear's would make that worse. Mari'd love if it could have a clear mind, but that was not how it functioned. In some capacity this was the reason behind its stalkerish behavior. Its anxiety would push it to fly over and watch out for its children. An anxiety stemmed from love, but one that was very toxic.

The Marionette trembled for a moment, thinking back on Matthew's little speech. It was cute to hear him gush over its plush form, but kind of uncomfortable at the same time. It knew the boy hadn't meant to embarrass it, probably not even aware that it was listening, but that didn't make it any less awkward. It had almost sounded like he was… taken with it. That was silly to consider, given how young he was, but he'd sounded slightly more than passionate about the mini-Puppet… Well, perhaps it could tease him the with this bit of information the same way he'd teased Mari after spotting it that night.

Some friendly revenge never hurt anyone, and maybe by combining this and the picture of Charlotte kissing him into an argument the Puppet could get Matthew to forget about the "Bird Mari" thing. What a magnificent plan this was! It couldn't wait to see the look on his face when it would bring this up later today. After all, if Matthew could have fun at the thought of Mari flying around and having "a crush on him"- his words, not its, then it too could be amused by him being smitten after its plush.

A chime rang from its music box, and the Puppet chuckled to itself. What a great plan indeed.

o0o

He hadn't been lying when he'd noted just how big the gaming room was. And there so many games to choose from. Fredbear's was a starter business, and yet the sheer number of cabinets to play at was astounding. He'd expected to maybe see a couple of arcades and nothing else, this being a small restaurant, but no. Even in other depictions of the diner things were more small scale, but not here apparently. Here, Henry and William were playing to win, and it showed. They weren't looking to make a buck, they wanted to take the world by storm and snuff out the competition.

As you entered the second half of the pizzeria, you'd see four Skee-Ball machines in-between two Basketball games on the far side of the room, along with a Claw Crane to their left in the corner. Near the right wall outside the hall that led to the bathroom there were two Whack-a-Mole games. The room's entrance, being close to the stage, meant that the rest of the cabinets would be placed in the opposite direction, going along to where the building's main doors would be. There were four Air Hockey tables and a little further off eight Pinball machines, divided into two groups. Separating these two attractions were another set of two Foosball tables, and on near the end of the room there were yet another two rows of actual arcade cabinets, with all the popular games of the early 80s. Some he recognized, like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Galaga, Battlezone and Asteroids, but there were plenty he'd heard of but never seen like Tempest, Qix, Vanguard, Night Driver, Gorf, Defender, Scramble, Crush Roller, Grand Champion, Frogger and Berserk.

In Matthew's opinion there may've been too many. There was even a ball pit next to the open doors that led to the stage. Just the electricity cost for this place must be crazy, but then there was also the animatronic maintenance, the possible demand for more merch once the current stock ran out, the kitchen ingredients, props, the dozens of employees that had to be paid and that was only what he could list off the top of his head. There were other things he missed. Thinking about all of them... he prayed Henry and William would be able to afford their diner's costs.

And if the starting restaurant was so expensive to finance, places like the FNaF 2 location suddenly seemed kind of unrealistic to imagine. Who would've thought that he'd find the reason for the limited power of the first game in the franchise all the way in Fredbear's? Of course management would have to save every dollar they could if even the most lowkey pizzeria was this hard to keep running without a ton of buzz.

But… he did not dislike it. He actually quite liked all the effort that had been put into Fred's, and the fact that this version of the diner was so different from other interpretations put a smile on his face. Matt would take changes for the better when he could. The layout of the diner wasn't exactly the same to that of FNaF 4's, nor Henry's original vision back when they'd visited the restaurant before it had been renovated. The bathrooms weren't in the right place, the kitchen's angle had been modified and a lot more space had been made for the gaming room, but all of those served to improve the restaurant.

So after a quick dive into the ball pit further confirm this universe was not the Frights one he, Evan and Cassidy had gone to play. For his first ever "video game" Evan had wanted to try Asteroids, one of the oldest if Matt wasn't mistaken. A tiny issue had arisen when they realized Ev was too short to reach the controls, and so Matthew had offered to let the boy hop onto his shoulders and play from there. Cass was currently walking Evan through the process of getting a handle on the game, despite her also having never touched arcades before. Maybe they should've switched positions and let Matt show Evan how it was done, but it had been a spur of the moment decision, and Matthew didn't feel like moving with the boy on his shoulders. At least got to stare at the coin acceptor or whatever it was called. He would've opted for the gorgeous cabinet art, but he'd been the one to suggest this.

Strangely enough, Henry had shown up out of the blue to check up on them- Matthew- asking how they liked it so far. True to the man's nature, it had been more than awkward, but he'd left soon after, not wishing to disturb their fun. Just one example of the man breathing down his neck, but Matt couldn't exactly tell him off. Not that he even wanted to, since the man was only doing his self-imposed job, and for that the boy had learned it was better not to question it.

"Are ya winning, dude?" he asked instead, hearing those classic electronic noises these old-school games made. It sounded like Evan was getting the hang of it, but he wasn't particularly expressing much joy.

"Um, kinda? There are only a couple more meteors I gotta destroy."

"He isn't doing so bad for his first game." Cass added.

"Oh, wait, spoke too soon, now there's more of them. Aww!" Matt heard the sound of more blasting from Evan's triangular ship as he panicked for a second. He seemed to be landing his shots though, so that was good.

"What's his score?"

"One thousand eight hundred and ten. Oh, and he was two lives left."

"Sick! Just get comfy and shot as many of em as you can, no rush. And don't lean back- I can't hold ya if you do."

"Got it." Evan said heartily.

"I still don't get why you couldn't just get a chair." Cassidy looked down at him in pity.

"Cause I'm lazy and… I didn't think of it? But like, what's a little scoliosis gonna do me? It's not like I had a straight back anyway."

"Yeah, but he's only a foot shorter than you. I don't think you should hold him for much longer if he's so close to your weight. I wouldn't mind doing it for a while."

"That's very sweet of you, but I'm good." Evan bumped his ship into an asteroid, indicative by the beeping that was heard.

"Whoops."

"So, uh… How've your dreams been?"

"Mine? Uh, alright I guess. You're weird as always, and you have this thing where you salute with two fingers right before they end." Cassidy's tone became unsure, so he did not ask her to elaborate. Trying to figure out their nightmares would only give them both headaches.

"Wait, you have bad dreams like us?" Ev inquired curiously.

"Yup, remember when I was telling you about her? I mentioned she did too." Matthew answered for the girl.

"He's right. I dream of him for some reason, which is um… kind of sad, if I think about it."

"Hey, what do you mean sad?"

"Shush, Matt."

"Well… um…" Evan shot more meteors down. "He is your boyfriend, so of course you'd dream about him."

"Careful, Afton. You don't want me pushing you off." Cassidy gave the younger boy a warning shake, making him giggle.

"No please." he played in silence afterwards, intent on reaching as high of a score as possible. Not long after however, the machine rang the sound of the game finishing, indicating that Ev had lost.

"Ugh, one of them popped up from the corner of the screen and I couldn't avoid it." this was the most irritated Evan had ever been, which wasn't saying a lot but was endearing in a way.

"Wanna play again? You have nine more tokens."

"Nah, I'm done for now. It's your guys' turn." Cassidy moved to help him slide off Matthew's back.

"Jeez, you're heavy, Afton." she groaned while carrying the other boy.

"Weren't you the toughest girl in school?" Matt jokingly asked, prompting her to slap the top of his head.

"Tough doesn't always equal physically strong. But if you have any doubts, I can punch you right now."

"I'm fine, don't worry." he brushed her hand our of his hair, rising from the kneeling position he'd been in for the past ten minutes and cracking his spine. The tension release was very pleasant after holding his friend for that long. "Ey, look at that score. Twenty thirty is great for your first time playing." the name EVNA was at the top of the leaderboard, as no one appeared to have picked this arcade before them.

"Thank you. That was a lot of fun!" he said, before the orange tickets that were pouring out caught his gaze. "Oh, wow, those are so many tickets."

"All yours, bud. Let's hope they don't fall out of your pockets. Now…" they helped Evan with the collecting. Matthew then brought out a token, looking for what game he should play. He settled on trying Battlezone, and went over, inserting the coin. He knew what name he'd chose for himself by the time the alphabet flashed onscreen.

"Why are you naming yourself… goat, of all things? Can you really not think of a better name?" Cassidy peered over his shoulder from beside him. The arcade she went for was Tempest.

"Because… greatest of all time." that made both her and Evan laugh.

"Wanna bet? If I get a higher score, you're gonna have to do all the homework I have for winter vacation, and if I lose, I'll give you like, two hundred bucks."

"Oh, are you challenging me? Make it four hundred and you're on, Cass."

"Deal." they were about to hit start when an all too self-centered voice spoke from behind them.

"Yo, is that who I think it is? Mattie and Cassie, what are you two doing here? The baby section is in the other room." something may have snapped inside of Cassidy at the mention of that nickname, but she did not show it, instead turning around and grinning.

"Evan, meet the unholy trinity, Michael's Merry Band of Morons." Matthew did his friend the service of presenting Terrence, Chris and Katherine. He really hadn't thought he'd have the displeasure of crossing paths with them, but he supposed it wasn't too out of the ordinary. Michael probably told them about how his father was opening a new restaurant, and given that they were always looking for a new place to hang out in it made sense that they'd come to Fredbear's.

These three very intelligent individuals were one of the gangs that had liked to pick on him and Cassidy back in summer. Although when they did Mike wasn't with them, as he lived outside of town and hadn't gone out that much. Their last interaction had ended with both Terrence's and Katherine's noses being broken, and since then they'd been out to get Cass and him, but mostly her. The shame of a getting dunked on by a small girl must've been eating away at them. Well, he would certainly like to see them try, because if they dared lay a single hand on either him or his friends a couple of words to Henry and they'd be banned for life from the diner. Too bad they didn't know that.

"Wait, they're… How do you know Mikey's friends?" Evan voiced his confusion.

"Oh, you know, they liked to mess with us, a lot of the time that ended badly for em, and I guess now they've come here to even things out, cause they're sad little asshats that no one pays attention to. They gotta make themselves look interesting somehow." funny how Michael wasn't with them, though, knowing them, he'd probably been told to wait around the corner in case any of the staff noticed what they were planning to do.

"You won't be talking like that for long." Terrence cracked his knuckles in that very cliché bully manner, trying to be intimidating, but only succeeding in making Matthew snort.

"I see you're as bright as ever, Ter. You get tired of using that empty hole in your head you call a brain?" his comeback made the guy scowl, swallowing his lame retort, and his friend hide a snort.

"Bro, that little man is Mike's brother. Kid, get outta here, we don't have beef with you." Chris addressed Evan, but the boy shook his head, keeping his mouth in a thin line. Aw, Matthew would have to thank him later. That was precious.

"Shut up, Chris." he did as instructed instantly. "He can stay if he wants to, but I've gotta talk with this little bitch here." Cassidy flashed her and even smugger smile for the insult, while Evan's eyes seemed to bulge out of his sockets.

Not around the six-year-old! Guys, c'mon, have some standards.

"Keep running your mouth if you want both of your parents to get fired, girl. Dunno if you know but my dad owns the firms they work at. I bet they're gonna be real proud of you once they learn their dearest daughter got them blacklisted."

"That's bullshit and you know it. Honestly, Cassie, can't you come up with something better than saying you're this rich princess. Everyone knows what you say is as flat as you." in Matt's mind that did not even approach the level of burn that Cassidy's did. The girl crossed her arms, unbothered.

"Someone's on their cycle." he whistled, receiving a glare that meant he'd be next.

"If you wanna talk about flat take a good long look at yourself. I mean, I'm only eight, I've time to develop, but you're four years short of being twice my age and don't even have an inkling of breasts. You've to wear bras just so guys would glance in your direction, and look who that's landed you." she gestured towards Chris, who was pricking his nose, close to bursting into a fit of laughter. "Like, please, don't drag us all down with you, some of us will end up better. I know you wanna fit in but comparing eight-year-old girls to you is kinda…" Cass tilted her head, looking disappointed. Matthew did the reasonable thing and covered Evan's ears as things were getting too heated for his young mind, all the while Chris couldn't hold it in anymore.

"The fuck are you laughing at?" Katherine snapped, her face red with anger. Matt could swear there was steam coming out of her ears.

"What? You got owned by a little girl! You want me to cry? It's hilarious!" he bent over to hold his abdomen. Along with him kids that had been playing at the other attractions had stopped to listen, and were now laughing along, pointing fingers and ridiculing the three bullies.

Sensing the current situation growing more dire the boy moved Evan behind him, looking up at the camera in the upper corner of the room. He saw it focus in on the commotion and waved at it, hoping to get some of the staff to notice what was going on and come help.

For what was most likely the only time he'd ever do this, Matthew smiled when he saw William step into the room.

o0o

Springbonnie finished his solo, earning a round of applause from the audience. There was a shift in the bot's eyes as he processed it, before taking a bow. It hadn't been the first time it had happened, Matthew noted. It would seem that the bots were able to recognize their onlookers' impressions of their show and react accordingly. For animatronics that should've been "low-tech" they sure were very responsive, but that was not so unreasonable of a concept. In FNaF 3 it was established that, even the springlock suits, could go around searching for children/loud noises if they heard any, meaning they could recognize such things. That was the reason Springtrap could be led from room to room, and why the ventilation alarm would draw him to your office faster.

While Fred and Bonnie had limited walking capabilities- only moving a couple of steps on stage- that didn't mean they'd never be able to walk in animatronic mode period. Henry may very well decide to implement that at some point. As they were right now however, the fact that they could perceive and understand spectator reaction at all was plenty already. It did make him think though… just how far ahead had Henry and Afton thought when anticipating the children's reactions. That must've been a lot of work… To analyze your script and change it at every turn just for the possibility that maybe the kids would not laugh and such. The boy didn't know how the men did it, but the more he went down this rabbit hole the more impressed he got.

"I'll give you a C on that one." Fredbear said, refusing to clap for his partner's performance.

"Thank you, pal- wait, what do you mean a C? I totally rocked it."

"Well, I mean that I didn't really see you play. Your hands weren't moving all that much."

"That's what it looked like to you, but it's just that they were moving so fast you couldn't possibly see it." Bonnie closed his eyes, wiggling his fingers in the air proudly. "I'm lighting fast."

"Oh, so it didn't have anything to do with that small button on the back of your guitar? My bad." and although Fred apologized it was obvious he did not believe his friend. The joke hadn't landed with many of the younger kids, but some of the adults in the back Matt could hear were chuckling.

"What? No, don't kid yourself, I don't need a button- I'm professionally trained." the rabbit took great offence at his friend's accusation of being a fake, by placing a hand on his chest and leaning forward, the other hand on his hip.

"Yes, you did go to school for it, didn't you?"

"Yeah, the Juilliard School of Music."

"Okay, then how about this; play the kiddos something right now. Anything, a little song- anything that comes to mind that you learned at Juilliard, just play it."

"Fine, of course I'll do that." Springbonnie crossed his arms, pouting.

"Thanks, I'm sure everyone would like to hear it."

"I'll do it. Right now."

"Alright, I'm all ears."

"Okay."

"Okay, do it."

"I will." the two narrowed their eyes at each other before the rabbit picked up his guitar, staring at it in silence for a few moments.

For several seconds nothing happened besides Fredbear sounding like he was resisting to laugh. Finally, Bonnie brought the instrument closer to his face. His fingers brushed some chords, but in no real rhythm. No music actually came formed from Spring's struggling, and the sounds he produced, being a disjointed mess, hurt more than they sang. Fred was beginning to lose his glee from the way he became stiffer the longer Bonnie attempted to sing with his professional training. The bear facepalmed not soon after.

"I'll give you a… an A on this. It was indeed better than the last song you played." he teased, causing Bon to set aside his guitar and scratch the back of his head.

More kids were starting to get the joke, so Matt was happy he wasn't the only one laughing, but he did hear some that needed explaining. Well, the diner's entertainment was meant for people of all ages, so it was a given that not every single joke would be understood by children no older than ten. Despite that, he was more so amused at the fact that Henry and William had just copied one of Rock-afire Explosion's show tapes. He remembered watching a performance by the band with this exact premise one time, and while he didn't know if that had come out before 1982, Fredbear's had still incorporated a matching punchline into their banter, and he loved it.

"My hands are kind of tired after that last one- let's just- let's just take it easy and forget about this, hmm? No harm in resting for a little while." he shook his hands. "I'm sure Fredbear here has a lot of stories he could tell you instead." the mic-wielding animatronic gave his partner the side-eye, a threat having just been exchanged through the glare between the two.

"…I suppose I do have a few… So, the first one is this funny little story about me mistaking someone's identity. Way back, back before I even was an entertainer, I was applying for jobs, like all young inspiring cubs. As I was walking out of my then-possible-employer's building, I saw three women walking down the street. Something that stuck out to me was that they were bears, just like me. Now, that isn't too uncommon, but see, I'm no regular bear. My fur is golden, and I have never encountered another bear with golden fur, so you can imagine my shock when those women all shared my fur's color. I'd never seen that before, so I was curious what they were doing and where they'd come from, you know? It turned out they were headed for my boss' building, but the thing was that I had happened to be his last interview right before he closed for the day. Those three ladies couldn't have talked with him since the place was closed, so because I wanted to spare them the trouble I went back after them to warn them. I said; Hey, you, yes you three ladies, don't bother knocking at the door- it's closed… They didn't listen, so I walked forward, thinking they didn't hear me, but when I got near, they flew away. I saw them and I said; They were some birds." Fred raised his shoulders cluelessly at the end. This one had been even more successful than the last, making both parents and kids giggle. "…I have grown old, it would seem." he admitted like it was an unspoken truth.

Yeah, Fredbear is the biggest meme to ever grace the earth.

"Wait, but… If you were young, how could you have mistaken them for birds? Wasn't your eyesight better when you were younger?" Spring posed a fair question.

"Shut up, Bon. You're ruining the moment." the rabbit sighed, knowing how trying to argue and make his friend see logic was a lost cause.

"My turn then. Uh, well, if I think about it, there's one story that stuck with me till now. A little while ago, before I got this gig me and Fred were working at a Circus. Yeah, I know, not the best of places-"

"-Especially with all of the clowns. Who actually likes clowns anyway? I've yet to meet anyone that is actually passionate about them." Fred rudely spoke over Bonnie. It was funny how the bot that was Henry's OC said this when the man had also been the one to create Mari. "No offence to the Marionette, he's incredible, unlike them, but…" and there he went correcting himself. William's and Henry's dynamic being incorporated into the show would never get old. It only added to the realism of Fredbear's and Springbonnie's arguments.

"…Clowns are awesome." Bonnie spoke through gritted teeth, not mad for the fact that his partner had stolen his thunder. "SO, as I was saying before this guy thought it'd be fun to take over, I worked at a circus. And, well, I don't mean to brag but I was pretty good at it. I know for a fact that I had my fans wherever we went. One day as I woke up I checked my mail, and I was happy to see that I'd received three fan letters. I opened the first and… well, it was from my mother. She wanted me to help pay the bills. I was somewhat sad about it but I didn't let it put me down, so I pulled open the next, and inside my ex was asking me to pay my, ah, child support…" dads smiled all around. "We didn't have kids, trust me. And then the third, oh boy, the third was from the IRS. They wanted me to pay my taxes. And uh, on one hand I was happy that I'd gotten them, but on the other they weren't from the fans I was expecting, you know? I mean, I've been in the business for decades, everyone's heard of Springbonnie!"

"No one's heard of Springbonnie." Fredbear deadpanned, correcting the bluff.

"So how come I only received three when my mail box should've been bursting with fan mail? It didn't make sense. Unless of course… It was because I hadn't paid who I was supposed to. That was what I learned out of all of that. The moral of the story as people put it, would be to pay all that you are owed to everyone, so the good stuff can start coming in. Once I did that, well, them fan letters were pouring in like nobody's business."

"The moral of the story is to get an agent so people can know who you are. If you don't want to be a no name artist, that is." the golden bear corrected, set on not letting his bandmate mislead their audience.

Their back and forth was so interesting that Matthew couldn't help but devote all of his attention to it. His lips would tug upwards every time he'd catch a darker pun meant for the parents, and he loved to see the impressions left on all of the kids present. He was happy he'd been old enough when brought here that he could understand everything those two were talking about, because the worst kind of show to enjoy was the one that you did not fully get.

"I believe it's your turn now, Fred." the bear attitude had changed to one of mischief as Bonnie glanced at him.

"Actually, I just had an idea. Why don't you tell them about your bad the time with the washing machine? That one's better than any story I've got." and just like that Matthew chocked on nothing. His mind went blank for a moment, before thoughts of how he should thank Henry began rushing around, trying to escape his head.

"Fred, why'd you have to say that?!" the rabbit whined. "I thought we agreed to never speak of it."

"Don't be a baby, there's nothing wrong about that one. It was an accident- not even that. You couldn't have seen it coming. It'd be a shame if you let it get lost in time. The world needs to know, since there's no telling when I might forget. And if I do, people will miss out."

"I would've hoped you'd forgotten too."

"That would've been a real sad, wouldn't it? C'mon, it'll be fun. The kids want to know, don't you?" his query was met with nods, thumbs ups and cheers of yes. "See? You can't let them down now."

Wow, Fred's a great manipulator, guilt tripping Bonnie like that. But I'm all down for it.

"…My God. How did you talk me into this?... Fine, I'll say it…" Spring looked at the floor dejectedly, speaking in a low tone. "Once I put my bowtie in the washing machine but it got stuck in the spinning wheel thingy, and when I tried to get it out, I also got stuck…" the rabbit's voice was barely above a whisper.

"I had to pull his oversized butt out. If I hadn't been there who knows how long he would've stayed there. It looked like a pretty uncomfortable position." Fredbear laughed at his friend's misery, making Bonnie snap his head up to shoot daggers at him.

Squimpus McGrimpus would be so proud.

"You know, before calling me oversized you should look in the mirror, pal." Fred leaned back at that, his head held high and eyes shut.

"I'll have you know I'm in top shape for those among my kind, and the most handsome out of all of them. It's not every day that you get to see a golden bear." he held up one finger, unable to go on unless he pointed that out.

"And with an ego the size of Jupiter as well. You come with everything, don't you, Ferdinand?"

"Naturally, Theodore. I'm an all-inclusive package."

Ooftroop too.

Bon tapped the stage with his foot, shaking his head, probably rethinking his every decision that had led up to this.

Maybe their exchanges weren't perfect, or didn't appeal to everyone, but it was understandable since this was the first script that Henry and William had ever written for their characters. The two men were no writers, or comedians, so it'd take a while for them to find their footing, but once that would happen, they'd be unbeatable in the entertainment department. The fact that the dialogue worked despite not being as polished as it could have been showed that they had done their best and that the scrip had went through multiple drafts before this final version. It could have been better, undoubtably, but this was the most those two could do at present, and it was enough.

The material had no need to reach perfection, because the soul and passion put into it could be observed by all. Perhaps it wasn't stellar, but Matthew was convinced it would be, in time.

o0o

Waiters and waitresses had begun coming out of the kitchen's double doors near the gaming room, carrying plates of pizza to every table. He looked down at his own, sniffing to feel the smell, and was actually shocked that it was not bad. At first glance the mixture of cheese appeared proportionate, and he liked how the colors melted into each other. He only hoped it was as good as it seemed. Pumping himself up, he grabbed a slice, inspecting the dough. It was stable enough, as the heat from the cheese did not make it wobbly, and the cheese itself extended into strings as he separated the slice from the others. It was the moment of truth.

The instant he took a bite he almost burned his tongue, but as he registered the taste, he found that it was not what he saw coming.

"Oh man, this isn't bad at all. It feels pretty good, the amount of cheese is balanced, and it's super crunchy. How's yours?"

"S good!" said Cassidy through a mouthful. Evan had left to get interrogated by William, and so had Mike, while the last he'd seen of Charlie and Elizabeth was them completely destroying those Whack-A-Moles, so they couldn't offer their opinions. He pitied them for having to eat cold pizza. "Say, can I ask you something that's been on my mind for a while?"

"Shoot."

"Uh, so remember when we had that talk and you showed me that meme?"

"Mhm. What's up?" he looked towards the crowd of kids that had surrounded Fredbear and Springbonnie as he asked that, the two animatronics having stepped off the stage. Knowing William and Henry were inside however… yeah, he was not gonna get involved with that. He could do with leaving the smaller children have their fun as even his body's age was too old to be fooled by the illusion. However, thinking that William was the first furry human history, in this world at least, did put a smile on the boy's face.

"I assume it's something from the future, right?" he nodded. "So then, how come you knew about it if you were trapped in a robot for decades?" huh, he hadn't considered this when he'd answered her interview, but it was plain to see why she'd ask that. Lucky for him, it wasn't too hard to explain.

"Oh, well, you know how I said Afton got into a suit the night he died? So, before that, he destroyed the bots in the pizzeria, and among them was my own. After he died, we- the spirits I mean, were kinda left free to roam the earth, but not being able to move on. Some of us just floated around. Anyway, you can imagine that after a couple of decades I'd be curious to see how the world had changed, and so I got to exploring, having nothing better to do. Dunno for how long I did it, not that much if I think about it, but it was enough for me to find out about a lot of stuff I shouldn't have known otherwise. Among them was this something called the internet. It's like a… TV, but better, since absolutely anyone could have like, their own channels where they could post whatever they wanted. And through the internet, this new brand of humor emerged. That's uh, pretty much it."

He could see how she considered his words for a few seconds, but when she couldn't find any holes in his story she simply hummed, satisfied with the answer.

"That sounds cool. Do you think we'll get to see it? The internet, I mean."

"Uh, I guess… we'll see its crude beginnings, but we'll be too old to really get the hang of it by the time it gets good." one of the many things that made him despair over the time period he found himself in. But he preferred not to get depressed thinking about things he'd never have. "But who knows? We might be able to keep up with technology. Trust me, if we do, we're gonna see some truly amazing things. You've no idea what awaits the world in the future."

Both good and bad.

"You know, when you talk like that, you're somehow making me excited for it." Matthew smiled at her, briefly. He'd like for the friends he'd made to grow old and experience the things he got to together with him. But…

Matthew knew what kind of end awaited him. It'd be a gruesome, horrific and hopeless one. He would've liked to hope for the opposite outcome, but he'd had plenty of time to make peace with his fate.

Not like I think of it every day. What would happen if I just… disappeared. Either by William's hands or…

Matt sighed.

Stop making this harder for yourself you idiot. Don't think about that now, he had to chastise himself.

"I'm glad to hear it."

o0o

After William had finished with Evan and the boy had eaten his pizza, they'd gone back to the arcades to play some more, listened to the show and so on until their pockets were filled to the brim with tickets and some of the children had left. Time had passed without their knowledge, and they found the closing hour to be in only fifteen minutes. Thinking now was as good of a chance as any to cash their tickets in, they begrudgingly headed to the counter, where Matthew the Creepy Virgin awaited them.

"Hey, you're back! So, you guys think about what I said or… are you here for the prizes." the bored employee brightened upon noticing them approach.

"The prizes, please." and his face fell. It was deeply disturbing how he could look so saddened while grinning like a devil.

"Alright, alright. Put them up, I guess." the trio covered his entire counter with their tickets. "So, what do ya want?"

"Two Fredbear masks and one Puppet mask." Cassidy answered him.

"Two Fredbear masks and one Puppet mask coming up right away, just have to… press this here…" the guy fiddled with the ticket eater next to him that was the size of a fridge. He glanced at the shelves to verify the masks' prices and started putting the tickets in. The machine ate, they waited, the numbers kept growing, and eventually it ran out of tickets to consume. "Uh, bad news, kids. You only have enough for two masks." he pointed to the number displayed in red. It read twenty thousand two hundred seventy-one. "Someone's gonna have to give it up I'm afraid. Even with today's discounts they're just short of being enough for y'all. Only two masks." out of the corner of his eye Matt saw Evan raising his hand, so he pushed it back down, raising his own instead.

"Give them their masks, the Fredbear ones. I'll give it up."

"Wait, Matt, we could go play some more- it's not that much." Cass intervened, but he shook his head. They could, sure. All they had to do was ask for a couple more tokens and go play super fast, but not only did Matthew not do well under pressure, he also wasn't experienced enough at the arcades and it'd be closing time soon. He also just- he was tired, after a whole day of running around the pizzeria he didn't feel like playing any more games.

"I really don't mind. You guys can get them, I'll do it tomorrow. Too late now." and it wasn't as if he was some toddler getting sad because he wouldn't get his toy. It was Monday, tomorrow he'd have all the time he could want to come and gather the right number of tickets.

Evan didn't like that arrangement, so Matt patted his back, encouraging the boy to accept. He did, biting his lip, and Cassidy shrugged, coming to the conclusion that it was pointless to try and convince him to change his mind.

"Suit yourself." Matthew picked up two Fredbear masks and handed them over.

"Uh, could you like, make a card or something that um, validates that I had this many tickets left? You know, for tomorrow?" the dude stared at him for a moment before catching his drift.

"Ah, yeah, kay." he tapped on the machine and after some whirring noises, pulled out a Fredbear's signed card that said two hundred seventy-one. They weren't significant numbers that he'd have difficulty getting, so the card may have been useless to some, but it'd speed things up a bit, so it'd help.

"Thanks." he placed it in his pocket. The stage curtains were slowly closing as Fred and Bonnie were saying their final goodbyes.

"Thank you for coming to Fredbear's Family Diner! We hope you've had a good time and wish to see you again next time!" the rabbit expressed his gratitude to his audience, followed by his partner.

"So long everyone! We thank you for being the most gracious of guests, it was our pleasure to entertain you! We'll see you all tomorrow! Buh-bye!" ended the bear right as the curtains were drawn to a close.

Shifting to look at Evan, the boy nodded to him as a show of appreciation before surprising Matthew by embracing him. Matthew was touched. He hugged back, hearing a muffled thank you from Evan before the boy pulled away and ran off to show his brother what he'd gotten. Glancing at Cassidy, he saw her looking annoyed at something behind him, and when he turned, he observed a woman in a turquoise dress staring at them through the diner's entrance.

"That's my mom. Isn't her timing just perfect?" the girl rolled her eyes. "Sorry, but she's having that expression that says I'm gonna ground you if you don't get away from that boy immediately. Didn't wanna do this to you but I gotta go. See you tomorrow?"

"You got it."

"Thanks, Matt." Cassidy said, before she fidgeted in place, her face growing tight with discomfort. "Uh, for this I mean." she beckoned to the mask, walking backwards.

"Yeah, no problem. Have fun with it. Be seeing you!"

And as quickly as the girl had appeared she left. He caught the glare her mother gave him but didn't look away. It was safe to say that woman did not like him.

"Damn. You got dumped, kid." Matthew commented for no reason.

"Go fuck yourself."

"HA, what else am I gonna do if I'm single?"

Yeah, Matt did not have the brain power necessary to handle him. And why the hell did he feel as though he should feel bitter right about now? Was Shadow Freddy so petty that he'd try to make him feel bad? For this? It was pretty pathetic of him if that was the case.

The boy laughed. Another, younger kid, one of the few remaining ones, passed him and headed for the Puppet's box. Matt watched on in interest as the child tapped onto the lid, which opened a moment later to reveal Mari rising out of it. The little boy was too amazed to speak, and could do nothing but watch as the Marionette picked up a present and offered it to him. Hesitantly he took it, making Mari produce a jingle sound and ruffle his hair.

"Wait, couldn't I have also gotten the mask with my green wristband perks? If I uh, stacked those with the discount?" he thought to ask the employee.

"You could have, but it ain't my fault you didn't think of it, kid. Sorry, not sorry." the guy faked looking apologetic, enjoying mocking Matt.

"Couldn't you have just… told me?"

"That isn't in my job description. You should've asked." fastest fool of the year award went to Matthew Emily.

Why did they have to share their first names?

He really hated this guy. But… he was right, partially at least. No use crying over spilt milk, so he'd let it go.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere between them, Mari, who hadn't gone back in its box, made a motion for the boy to come nearer. He did so, and the Puppet picked up a present from its box, handing it over. His eyes lit up when he opened it, but as he was about to thank his jester friend he was once again taken off-guard by an unexpected embrace.

The Puppet cradled the back of his head into its neck, resuming its favorite habit of petting his hair. Matthew could feel the purring of the music box through the black fabric that pressed against his chest. Slow chimes that sent shivers down his spine, but ones that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep at night without. They'd play whenever his friend would be in an affectionate mood, and they always instilled a sense of peace within him. He would've hugged back if he wasn't carrying a gift.

It was a little gesture, but one that meant more than words could describe. Because despite knowing of the care the Marionette had for him, he would never get used to these incredible ways in which it displayed its tenderness. It was alien to be able to lean into Mari's fabric form and not have to do something in exchange, but it was good. Unconditional even. And Matthew would not trade their relationship for anything. The fact that Mari was not made out of flesh and blood like him did not matter to the boy. It was more human than any person he'd ever met, perhaps even Charlie.

Sometimes he asked himself what he'd done to deserve this. To have such an extraordinary friend in his life. He'd posed this question to Mari once, after an exceptionally bad nightmare. The Puppet's answer had stuck with him ever since then, and it was the most beautiful thing anyone had said to him in the fifteen years that he'd been alive.

"You don't have to do anything to be worthy of love, my dear. You simply are." it had spoken, with more wisdom than many adults despite only being "born" last summer.

He'd cried a lot that night.

For him it was nigh impossible to comprehend how someone could be so… good… to him. But he'd learned to accept that the Puppet did not abide by the rules of the world. It defied reality in a way that made it even more wonderful. And… he dared say that he reciprocated its feelings.

He didn't know when he'd be able to say it, but in the meantime, he'd strive to demonstrate it, by doing these same things the Puppet did for him. In this murder-stopping quest of theirs they only had each other, and he swore to be there for Mari as it was for him.

They parted after a while. The Puppet did not speak, but its plastered grin had diminished into a legitimate one. A soft, fond smile. It didn't seem to care that they were not alone. It leaned forward on its box, resting one hand on the edge while holding up its chin with the other so it would be at the same level as Matthew. It nodded to the gift in his hands, and he took it as the que to put on the mask inside.

The Puppet tilted its head sideways once he was done, squinting as if it needed to in order to better see him. It chuckled, using its real voice. The noise made Matthew the employee take a step back, but the boy just laughed along with it. He was happy to see his friend happy, and he knew that regardless of what would happen, at least they'd have each other in their pursuit of saving lives.

He knew neither of them would be alone, and he was so glad for it.

---

After almost three weeks this chapter has arrived and I hope it was worth the wait! I didn't mean to drag it out so much but it seems that whenever I have more free time to write it's just harder to get to it. My mind's funny like that, but it is what it is. That said, I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I loved to pack it with as many fun little scenes as I could!

It's crazy to think that after 19 chapters we're finally getting to the first restaurant in the series. It's taken a while to set up the grand opening and have everything be just right for it to happen, but I think I've moved reasonably fast. Since all chapters up until this point have been plot focused, it definitely was an interesting experience to write a "beach episode". The next few chapters are gonna be full of quirky character interactions and worldbuilding like this one before we move on to the more serious subject matter since I think everyone can use a breather from the angst. As a spoiler, Laura is going to be heavily involved once we get back on track! I can't wait to show you all what I have in store for mama Afton!

Feel free to let me know if you liked this one! A favorite line or moment, who know? Comments feed my creative juices and mean the world _!

Also, if you want to chat or check out some of my art you can do so over at my Tumblr: dayfalwastaken. I'll try to reply as soon as I can since I'm on pretty often!

Thank you all for reading and for your patience ! I wish you a pleasant day and I'll see you next time !

Chapter title from "Bonnie's Mixtape" by Fandroid Music/Griffinilla.