This chapter might be rather short, but I have a feeling you're still going to like the context of it. I made a drawing along with this chapter, and it should be out on my DeviantART page in a couple of days. (if my cat is going to let me draw) so keep an eye out.
Two glowing orbs appear inside the darkness, at first the owner is not moving, then, as if struck by lightning, remembering the life inside these walls and the people that made existence bearable, he begins to move. One of them is in danger, and although he does not have any solid grasp on specific emotions. He still finds himself with a great need to keep his new family alive and safe.
The orbs turn upward and a second after, the lid to his once prison, now a mere place of privacy is pushed away. Marion leaves the big present box and while walking through the building, he scans the room. A lot of familiar figures, some are new, and even though he is still unable to define facial features, Marion still recognizes those two children as part of the family. The others go silent the moment they spotted him, they seemed surprised but he's not really sure. Still new to this new kind of existence, not that it matters at the moment. For all his computer brain can focus on is the safety of the residence, let it be those trapped inside a robot body or those still having flesh. He notices Spring looks mighty upset and past experience tells the hare only becomes like this if something happened to his twin brother, and by the sense of it. Goldie has teleported off not long ago, the situation must be serious. So, he teleports to that man's home. He appears inside a room that is utterly destroyed, and here he finds Goldie as well.
"Marion? You're back."
He eyes the golden bear and nods, not sure but finds himself unable to speak. Not that this new kind of being around matters, all that does matter is the fact that this house reek of a powerful and very dark spirit. That must've what got the others so upset, that must've been what called him to action. Since Goldie is unharmed and thus not a concern, Marion focuses on the one who is in grave danger to be stolen from his sense of family. The black spirit has just left, the trail is still strong, so he follows it.
It brings him to the outskirts of the city, and parts of him remember the fear he once felt when approaching a dark spirit, but it has been utterly overwritten by something his computer is unable to decode. All Marion knows that it is causing such a great urge to get back one of the few that now is part of his sense of family. This new command dominates his entire system, making nothing else matter.
Marion spots the black spirit, forcing someone to move. He cannot see if that person is the one he's looking for, but he needs to be sure for the last thing Marion wants is losing a single member of his new family. That man can complain all he likes but whatever Jeremy likes it or not; he is part of this family, and Marion is not going to let him go anytime soon. He approaches and it does not take long before the black spirit notices him.
Again, the memories stored in his computer brain reminds him of the fear. The only emotion he for a long time, could fully remember how to feel. But this time, the new command in his system is overwriting his stored memories, making him more than ever determent to get what belongs to his home.
"I'm surprised you dared to show your face again." The black spirit speaks in a tone he does not recognizes, not that it matters much. Marion approaches the person that is chained by that spirit's sheer power, reminds him a bit about how he once was trapped by that obnoxious music box.
Pretty annoyed that the marionette did not respond to it, more interested in Jeremy. The Twisted One lashes out to the puppet, not only leaving a mark on its masked face, but making it stagger by the glitching forced upon the computer brain. "You have been quite determent to stay away beforehand." Again the marionette does not speak. Instead, it walks over to Jeremy, grabs him around the jaw and forces the man's head to turn. A bit confused to why the spirit residing inside that puppet does that, Twisted One watches the marionette look for something in its servant.
Stroking the fingers over the opened scars, they did put him slightly off track but there's no doubt now. This is the missing family member. Marion let's go and without hesitating or the fear he only seems to remember, yet now it no longer matters. He spins around and punches the black spirit with all the emotions that have built up in these short minutes of have re-possessed his body. He does not understand them at all, only knowing that he will not leave without Jeremy.
That punch that is fueled with both light and dark emotions did more than catch Twisted One off guard, it flinches away from the hit, though quickly replaced with anger than this midget DARED to punch it. "You little brat!" The monster roars and lunges at the marionette, who didn't even flinch. Instead, the puppet does something that catches Twisted One the more off guard. The Marionette takes something out from the small blue porch attached around the waist and throw it into the air, and for some reason Twisted One is unable to penetrate the dusty wall. "What the hell?" What is that stuff?! Nothing should be able to hold back a powerful spirit they are! Twisted One tries again and with most of that weird dust fell to the ground, they can get over to the increasing nuisance. It turns into a wolf and bites the puppet right over the chest, bending the plastic that makes the skin on the marionette, slamming it to the ground. By sheer power, leaves significant scratch marks into the marionette's plastic body, but the puppet does not seem to care and hits them again. Twisted One refuses to let go, it wants to show this stupid puppet that NO ONE messes with them.
For some reason, the puppet is not at all bothered by being torn apart as it would in the past. The marionette is more focused on keeping them away from its new servant, and this really pisses Twisted One off. More so when it knows how much of a coward the puppet spirit is. "He belongs to me now!" Twisted One roars at the emotionless marionette. "He will serve me! He will make sure the two you protected will perish by my hand!" This got a response from the marionette, but not this one expected. Instead of going into a rage attack or something that would give Twisted One the chance to tear that stupid head off. The puppet somehow wiggles out from its grasp, grabs Jeremy and before Twisted One can stop them, the puppet and man is gone. Twisted One roars in a fury, making the surrounding street lights flash as if there is a thunderstorm in the area.
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To say that everyone back at Freddy's got surprised to see a beaten up Marion returns with a badly wounded Jeremy is an understatement. Chica, Spring, and Scott swiftly takes Jeremy for some much needed medical attention and call to the hospital that they soon will have a patient with severe cuts.
From how the puppet is staggering, it's clear that the fight with Twisted One took a lot out from him, so Foxy hurries over and in last second catches Marion just as the puppet collapses. He turns to the others for help as the lights in Marion's eyes fade and the body goes limp.
Mike steps over and shakes Marion slightly but he gets no response. Mike lets out a sigh, and Foxy quickly understands that Marion has left them once again. Why he does not stay, especially after have shown he at some measure cares for them from how far he went to save Jeremy, Mike has no idea.
"Better ask Thomas if he can repair him." Foxy muses, thinking that's the least they can do from what Marion did; without him, Jeremy would've been lost. Mike nods and Foxy carefully carries the once again lifeless puppet over to Parts and Service so Thomas can take a look at him tomorrow.
Hope carefully follows Foxy into the room and after the fox has left the puppet at the table, she scans the room for the spirit of Eric but sees no signs of him. No real surprise though; Eric did have an ability to hide even for a Medium's eyes. Though she does still hope he is near, "I never got the chance before, but… thank you. For both saving Soren and Jeremy." She speaks out to the room. Not noticing Soren standing at the door behind her. "It was very brave of you, more so from how scared you were all the time. And I wish…" she carefully takes his limp hand. "You would see that everyone here wants you around, they care about you. I know for they care about Soren and me as if we are family."
Soren lowers his head slightly, his time with Eric had been short but only an idiot wouldn't have seen how much fear was part of that spirit very existence. Makes him feels a bit bad from have called Eric a wuss and he should grow a backbone. But only a little for maybe his harsh words was what made Eric do this for a man he clearly cares about. Even if he repeatedly said that no one cared about him, it seems Eric was only lying to himself. "It would be nice if you joined us," He speaks, making Hope jump in surprise and turns to him, he gives her a weak smile before turning his attention back to the room and hopefully Eric's spirit. "for being dead here does not sound so bad. So, don't mope in the void, join your family."
They wait for about five minutes but Marion's eyes did not glow, nor any movement happens. Soren lets out a sigh in defeat and leaves.
Hope is about to follow but stops when she notices something familiar attached around Marion's waist. "Hey Soren, Marion have your magical pouch," She calls and Soren returns. He checks and blinks confused as both he and Hope thought that some of the customer kids took it when they forgot it on the creative table.
Soren removes the pouch from Marion, allowing her to get a proper look at it, the doodles he made to look it magical are there, sign this is definitely theirs. "Do you think he took it when we weren't looking?" She asks and does wonder why Eric took it in the first place.
Soren seems to be thinking the same thing, he sticks his fingers into the pouch and pulls a small handful of what looks to be hard-grained treebark. Hope and Soren look at one another in confusion, somewhat expecting the other know what in the world this is as it's clearly not the sand Soren stuffed into the pouch the last time he had it.
Marion is still around, but he's not entirely the same puppet we got to know in the past. I doubt even he knows what's going on inside that head of his, only that his new obsession involving his family better not get out of hand as his big brother let it.