to Thedyingjokepastaway: I will see if I can make a chapter having some of the things you suggested.
I totally agree that Foxy calling his dad by his profession is pretty awkward, but Foxy actually did it out of politeness and because he didn't feel comforable to call, one he considers a stranger by first name.
yeah, it sounds about right, more so when she discovers what Mike has been doing to ensure that Soren won't return back to her.
to Dragon Of The Ecplising Moon: hmm, that might work. will go quite some time before I can even attempt writing this idea into the story though.
to everyone else, enjoy the story.
Marion finds himself before a dilapidated mansion, it looks familiar but he cannot put where, only he feels compelled to enter. Like this place will give him answers he seeks— without knowing he is looking for.
He enters the building, and only there he realizes why he recognizes the place. It's the same place where he protected Mike from that maniac. He only knows he succeed because Mike is alright back at Freddy's, not sure what happened to the maniac though, not that he really cares.
Might as well check this place out, see why he felt compelled to come here. He walks up to the stairs and does stop when his eyes notice a large picture. It is kept in a rather good condition compared to the rest of this place, honestly why it hasn't been torn down already is beyond him.
On this picture that is held by a fancy tree frame is what he presumes was the family of this mansion. An old man, a young adult and a small child. None of them really looks happy, he observes, especially not the child. Other than that, the picture does not tell much. He has problems getting the subtle differences between people faces and this picture is so ruined by time that finding something to recognize them is long gone.
Marion leaves the large picture behind, instead he walks upstairs and attention caught way more by the wonder of what in the world has destroyed that door. He's about to check what lies inside that room with the broken door, however, he never gets the chance to do that.
"I see I am not the only one compelled to return here."
He turns around in reaction to the voice, downstairs stands a spirit, it looks like any other spirits, maybe more solid and aware than most but that's about it. Marion is not sure why, though but he has the sense he should recognize this spirit but the reason to why: he has no idea and honestly, he does not really care.
The spirit titles slightly it's head. "Don't you recognize me?" They ask with a crooked smile.
He does not answer.
The spirit laughs softly and walks up to him, stopping before the large picture. "Wow, I knew you were desperate to put all of this behind but not THAT much."
Marion follows the spirit gaze to the large picture, not sure what that spirit is talking about, the picture sure does not give out any clues. He turns his eyes back to the spirit when that one asks vaguely. "Do they know of what you did?"
Again he does not answer but is starting to get annoyed by this spirit, maybe also a bit confused about what this dead person is talking about.
The spirit lets out a sigh and leaves. Marion slowly follows, having a sense this spirit is harmless, for now at least.
He follows the spirit inside a room that, by the looks of it, is a bedroom of that child from the picture. Being part of a place made to entertain kids, Marion observes there aren't that many toys for the kid, considering they should've been with a rich family.
The spirit takes a seat on the rotting bed from the water that would fall onto it during every rainstorm. "Are you planning on to continue giving me the silent treatment?"
He does not answer, simply watching the man.
The spirit shakes their head in disbelief. "You gotta be kidding me… you aren't even aware of this yourself are you?"
Aware of what? He titles his head slightly.
The spirit makes the same move people does when rolling their eyes. "That explains your passive attitude and strong outbursts. But seriously, do you have any idea of who you are?" The spirit asks, pointing at his chest. Marion looks down and lifts his slender black fingers, his sight begins to blur in the corners and jumping like his eyes are getting strong bolts of electricity. He turns to the man, but all he sees is a black spirit with purple eyes standing uncomfortably close to him. Before he can step back, the black spirit grabs him around the throat and lifts him off the floor.
"You can try all you like but you cannot hide from what you truly are, Eric." The black spirit tells him menacingly. "Wake up and face the fact." The spirit lets go and his conscience falls into darkness, only the voice of the man can be heard.
"You are a coldhearted murder: Just. Like. Me."
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It is nice that Halloween is over and they now can focus on Christmas, something Freddy is starting to think is his favorite time of year. He does not care much about the "present frenzy". He better like the spirit of the holiday of spending quality time with friends and family, plus he really likes snow. Freddy is not ashamed to admit that he returns back to his soul's age every time a good layer of snow has fallen, he loves goofing around in it.
But it's still too early for snow, and unfortunately, Freddy has a lot of things to handle now that Mike, Scott and Jeremy have returned all ownership of the restaurant back to him.
Their absent for a year has really put a decline on the flow of customers, and according to the files Scott has been recording in the manager's computer, the restaurant had been really close to bankruptcy about four months after the death of Vincent. Fortunately, they pulled through and Freddy is very glad he made the choice in giving them the restaurant if something happened to him and the others. He is however happy to have the whole place under his name again. Yes, Freddy is aware it is egotistical of him but it's really hard not to think the restaurant as his when it has his name on.
Anyway, things are starting to look good. The Halloween show really got people's attention and Goldie made the smart choice in inviting the press to take some pictures for the local newspaper, like many other times, that really helped on attracting more customers.
"Still looking at the budget?" Goldie asks as he appears inside the office, like many other times; he does not use the door and instead teleports wherever he wants to be. He is not surprised to find Freddy sitting before the computer and looking at the past income.
Freddy simply nods with a soft hum.
Goldie rolls his eyes before he steps over to take a look at how their budget is now. He smiles at what he sees. "Well, well, looks like a simple holiday show really got people's attention." Adding with a grin to his younger brother. "If this keeps going, we will be fully back on our feet before Christmas."
Freddy nods in agreement, yes, if they keep gaining customers like this, then soon everything will be back to normal. Well, not quite. "I think we should save up our money for a new expansion." He suggests and his brother raises slightly a brow at this. "Oh?" Goldie has a curious look of why he is suggested this.
Freddy knows it might be early to think about such things. With them having only been back for two months, but from how things are now, he thinks it will do them all good. "Mike did talk about moving out and find himself an apartment, but..." He eyes Goldie with a somewhat hard gleam in his striking blue eyes. "Call me paranoid, but I don't think that would be such a good idea. Mike won't stand a chance against a dark spirit, only you do and I doubt Mike will want your trolling butt as his roommate." Goldie laughs at his description of him. Freddy quirks a smile, it does fade when he continues. "So it would be for the best Mike stays here, not only for Soren and Hope's sake but for the Toys as well." The still kid animatronics really needs Mike to deal with their soul pain. He and the others are getting used to it, but the kids need someone supportive and all of them— minus Theo— looks at Mike for that support.
"So you only want expansion on the room downstairs?" Goldie asks.
"Not exactly." Freddy shakes his head, he grabs a pen and makes a quick drawing on the restaurant's current layout. He points at the section where the pirate cove and small drawing corner is located. "I would like another room, better suited for Foxy. For in the restaurant's current state: children have trouble hearing his stories if we happen to play music."
"Plus Vixey is starting to join his show, which his small stage is not really built for two animatronic foxes." Goldie points out and can see what Freddy is looking for with this new party room. He takes the pen from the brown bear and sketches his take on how this new room could look like. It won't be as big as the Game room, but big enough to have a few props for the pirate show and also give Spring more space for those children that want to be more creative. He points this out to Freddy, explaining him. "It should spare us from using the dining room's tables and if we put the creative corner in this new room, we can get more equipment for Spring."
His thoughts exactly. "Something I am certain Spring would appreciate." Freddy has taken notice that Spring more than once didn't have enough space to move properly around the creative corner, much to the hare's annoyance but of course, Spring never said it out loud.
Goldie nods in agreement, he then stares at the sketch for a moment before he takes it, saying: "Well, I suggest we slowly start on the room downstairs. After that, we can think about the—"
"Sean, we got a huuuugge problem!" Rena burst through the door, holding a newspaper.
Both her brother and Goldie turn around and Freddy asks worried as he gets up from the chair. "What's wrong?" She will show him, Rena hands him the newspaper holding the horrible news. "Our rivals are trying to steal all our customers with a grand Christmas show!" Freddy frowns but does take the paper and starts to read the disaster their rivals are doing to take away their business. His frowns deepen but now more a comically one and he asks a bit dumbfounded. "Why in the world do you say that place is our rivals?" Much to Rena's disbelief as it should be obvious. "Because it opened right at the time we almost went bankrupt and they have animatronics!" She points angrily at the picture of the four animatronics of this rival company. "Circus Baby's Pizza World want to take all our customers away!" and asks with pretty much fire in her eyes. "So what are we going to do about it?"
Freddy and Goldie look at one another, and after a moment of silence, they both begin to chuckle, much to her disbelief. "Why are you two laughing? This is serious!" She yells angrily at them for not seeing how serious this is.
He might be new to this as well, but he has read enough about show business to know it would only be a matter of time before some other company would butt into this kind of brand. "Rena, this new company might have the same brand like us. But that does not makes them our rivals." Freddy tells his sister rather amused that she got all fired up about such a silly thing. He hands her back the newspaper showing the four animatronics for that small company, unlike them, these robots have smooth covers and went with the circus theme compared to their more band theme. "Those people are simply trying to get onto the wagon Fazbear Entertainment started all those years ago."
"It will still take our customers." Rena argues.
That might be true, but Freddy is certain that this restaurant can survive even if they got competition with this new animatronic restaurant. "I doubt they will take all of them. We have a lot of loyal customers."
"Not to mention children do prefer furriers over dolls." Goldie remarks with a huge grin on his face. Freddy gives his brother a deadpan stare from what the golden bear called them. "We are not furriers." He tells Goldie as he really does not want people to get the wrong idea.
"Now that Goldie mentions it, you guys are furriers!"
Rena didn't really make it better… "Please don't call me that… I am still trying to delete those pictures out from my memory bank…" Freddy groans from that past mistake that he should NEVER click on a popup link on the internet.
She probably should feel sorry for him, but knowing her brother found the more naughty side of furry is hilarious and she just can't help herself. "Aren't you sure you want to keep some of them? I have seen a few drawings with cute female bears." Her brother shoots her a glare but he pretty much fails to look intimidating with that pinkish glow around his cheeks. Rena almost collapses laughing. "hahahaha! Oh my god, I knew it!"
"Rena, this isn't funny!" Freddy yells at her but she does not care, it is so much fun watching her calm and collected brother get all flustered over what he once found on the internet. "Yes it is! Even you have a naughty side!"
And all his adult calmness is thrown out of the window, replaced with a flustered kid side. "It's those stupid programs! Do you have any idea how embarrassing they were in the start!?" Freddy retorts back to his sister. Did not help one bit, for Rena is still laughing. "Did they give you a puberty program?! Ha ha! That explains why you aren't acting like a kid!" Getting enough by she embarrassing him, Freddy picks her up from the floor with: "You the one acting like a kid!" And she did not make it better by flailing around and whining for him to let her go. "Sean, put me down! This isn't fair!"
He does not, instead, he throws her over his shoulders and walks out with her still struggling but to no avail as his muscles are out of metal. "Life's not fair, sis." Freddy retorts back to her, wearing a trollish grin worthy of Goldie.
The others turn away from what they are doing, but none are trying to save Rena from getting carried around like a damsel in distress by her anthropomorphic bear brother. Instead, several are laughing at the scene while the remianing others are simply watching to see how this is going to play out.
"Sean~!" Rena cries annoyed from her brother's shoulder, but all she is getting from him is a wide smirk. She shoots him a glare. "Put me DOWN!" In which he replies with a happy. "Non!" So she starts flailing again, by mere luck, she hits his nose with her feet and the embarrassment from the 'squeak' coming from it made him stop just long enough for Rena to get free from his grip and slide down from his chest.
Both give each other a 'let's agree on a truce' look. Rena points out to her 'older brother'. "You are aware that I am technically older now?"
Freddy snorts amused by that remark. "Maybe, but I am technically still your older brother." He throws back and returns back to the office. His sister follows with a fake whining. "Aww~ I wanted to be the oldest~!"
Goldie laughs at the sibling spat going on with those two, he's happy Freddy and Rena are treating each other as family.
He does, however, think it's best to explain Rena that even if Freddy and his friend's souls are of children. Their advanced programs from the Upgrade have made their minds able to age into more or less the age they would have been if they were alive. "The mechanics gave us a program that not only stores most of our memories but gives us the ability to feel more advanced emotions. The side effect is that our minds develop a sense of maturity from this." Gesturing to Freddy. "Hence why your brother is not stuck in the age he died in."
Must admit that she is happy the animatronics have this program. "Even if I would like having a younger sibling. I do not think I would want to deal with Sean as a seven-year-old brat." Freddy gives her a look for that remark, she returns it by sticking her tongue at him but does take this subject a bit serious as she wonders out loud. "I do wonder how it would be if you never would be able to grow up?"
"Forever be stuck as a child? It's not as fun as it sounds." Freddy muses and, like Rena, is happy his mind has aged thanks to that program. Yes, his fast puberty did cause him a lot of embarrassment but it did allow his mind to handle the trauma and hardship he went through better than his child mind was able. "A lot of people might want to return to their childhood naivety and lack of understanding for the future. But I am glad that is gone, not knowing your own future and lacking the understanding to why people did what they did: it was hell. In the former location… I was more like a caged animal than a child."
Freddy explains no one in particular. He is happy to no longer being a child as that caused nothing but misery for him. Being an adult allowed him the control he desperately needed and with a safe and calmer environment, he can now allow himself to relax and play. He doesn't care much what he caught parents say when they saw Mike goofing around, for there's no limit to be child-like and have fun.
He blinks when he feels someone's arms around his torso, he looks down and sees it is Rena who is hugging him, it startles him to see tears in her eyes. Freddy realizes the mistake of his former words. "Rena, I'm sorry..."
"Don't." Rena tells her brother in a hard tone through the small sobs. "I'm angry at what those jerks did to you..." Freddy gently returns the hug, musing. "Yeah… but it's over now." She nods into his furry chest, glad that he is indeed right. The reason to why she barged into the room is long forgotten.
Goldie watches the heartfelt scene between brother and sister, and does wonder when the Toys— as Rena so fancily called it— puberty program activates in them. Maybe it already has in some of them and they just react differently than Freddy did. Maybe it's more like Foxy, who never seemed to leave his childish behavior behind. Goldie does not really any idea, he only hopes the program will help the Toys to get better control over their lives and be mature enough to realize that they don't have to let their past dictate their future.
Did you really think we got rid of him that easily? no, someone like that always comes back to torment those they hurt in the first place.
I am planning to 'age' some of the Toys, I know from experience that a childish mind cannot handle big personal issues. I only got a better understanding and thus control over my own life when I became more adult. does however not mean I have thrown my childhood away. I am not afraid to admit I still goof around, gets excited to watch cartoons and loves to nerd out with whatever game I like.
I am no longer childish but still very much child-like.
so if you are about to join the ranks of the adults and afraid to leave the joy of childhood behind. don't be, it only leaves if you allow it to.
till next time