Luiginaryworker553: Does that mean you're writing some stuff alongside your FNAF story…? Well, either way, for all the difficulty and annoyance that come with so many stories to work on, I can find some solace in the knowledge that I'm not the only one who has to deal with it.

Zach Smith: Thank you! Merry Christmas!

And, of course, Merry Christmas to everyone else out there!

Also, I'm sorry if the epilogue is too short. I didn't really want to prolong it.

Epilogue – Plans for the future

Nothing really exciting or groundbreaking happened for the rest of the night, and before everyone knew it, it was time for the two humans to leave. When Freddy informed the group that they had five minutes left, Douglas had immediately made his way to the office to collect his things, leaving Zach to share some parting words with the girls. The older man quickly did so before heading for the front door with his younger brother, accompanied by Chica.

"I hope you'll visit again sometime," the chicken sincerely said to Zach. "One thing you and Dougey have in common is that you're both nice to be around."

Douglas blushed upon hearing that.

Zach, on the other hand, gave a smile. "Thanks," he replied. "I will probably be back someday. If Griffiths gives me permission to do so, that is."

"H-he's a reasonable guy," Douglas cut in. "I'm sure he'll let you."

"Speaking of which," Chica said, "it's probably best if you don't mention anything about what happens here at night. No matter how many guards have already run away, Kyle never found out about our sentience—and we want to keep it that way."

"Got it," Zach said. He hesitated. "But…don't you think he should find out at some point?"

"Maybe, but not now. He'd probably freak out. Maybe take us to a warehouse or something." Chica shivered. "I don't feel like being experimented on anytime soon."

The way she said that made Douglas look at her. It was obvious that she wasn't kidding: she was sincerely afraid of what Griffiths might do if he were to find out about the anime-tronics. Not that he blamed her. Griffiths was a good guy, but seeing supposedly 'normal' robots walk and talk on their own would probably do something to him. And this time, it wouldn't be like any frightened guard: with Griffiths' status as the manager, he'd be able to close Freddy's down for good—which he would undoubtedly do if he suspected that something dangerous was going on.

"Right," Zach said. "Sorry. I completely forgot about that detail."

"It's fine," Chica said. "Now, you've got two minutes left before six. For all you know, the day guard could be standing at the front door right now. Which reminds me…" She turned back to the stage. "I gotta go. Bye, guys."

The humans nodded, after which they proceeded to exit the Restaurant.

"I'll just tell Griffiths I didn't see shit," Zach lazily said as he and Douglas stepped in the car. "Give him the good ol' 'nothing's going on here'."

Douglas blinked, but started the car and drove out of the parking lot with little delay. Zach turned his head to him.

"You know," Zach said, "I do owe you one, bro."

Surprised to hear that, Douglas glanced at him. Zach 'owed him one'? "What do you mean?" he asked.

Zach turned back to the front window. "Well, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't've met the girls. You introduced them to me. If you weren't there, I'd have thought I'd gone mad. Or maybe I'd yell at Griffiths for trying to have me killed by a bunch of robots. Instead, I made friends.

"If I were alone, I'd probably have tried to run for the front door first chance I got," he continued. "I'd be scarred for life, avoiding Freddy's at all costs, et cetera… I'd have ended up like your predecessors, basically. I guess I'll think twice now before accusing everyone of attempted murder."

That made Douglas think. Zach was right. If it weren't for the guard, he'd never have had the chance to find those unique friends at Freddy's. It was Douglas who'd assured him that the anime-tronics weren't dangerous.

Realizing that made him feel…good. He might not be as confident or charismatic as Zach, but if he hadn't been there, this night would've been very different. Of course, he had only been able to help because he knew more about the anime-tronics than Zach…but did that really matter? He did save the situation from turning into a terrifying experience for his brother and a distressing one for the girls.

He remembered his own first night. It had ended well, but the experience of being chased by two nearly invulnerable animatronics wasn't the most pleasant one a man could have.

"Ah, sorry," Zach suddenly said. "I think I was rambling a bit. I'm not used to being this active at this time and it takes a toll on my brain."

Douglas smiled at that. "Now you know why I always sleep until, like, two in the afternoon." He glanced at his brother again. "Who's the lazy one now, huh?"

They both laughed to that, with Douglas feeling better than he had mere minutes before. He wasn't sure why. Perhaps being praised by the person he envied just helped that much.

Later that day

"So there is nothing worth reporting?" Griffiths asked through the phone. Zach almost nodded.

"Nope. All's fine, sir. Guess Douglas' attachment's just connected to his fellow employees—and maybe the paycheck." He winked at his younger brother, who silently shook his head in disapproval. Griffiths, of course, didn't know Douglas was with Zach in the room, and that was probably for the best.

"Good. Still, I'll be sure to keep an eye on his mental health in the future. I doubt it'll show any signs of detriment, but it's always better to be safe, wouldn't you agree?"

"Of course, sir. By the way, I'd like to apologize for my asshole behavior when I first contacted you."

"That's quite alright, Mr. Goodwin. You were simply concerned about your brother."

"So we're cool? Cool." He grinned at Douglas, who once again shook his head. On the other side of the line, he heard Griffiths let out a few amused chuckles. "Welp, I'm sorry to be rude, but I'm going to have to go now."

"Again, quite alright. But before you go, could you please deliver a message to Douglas for me?"

"… Okay…? What's going on?"

"It's about the Restaurant."

That turned Zach's face serious. Was the Restaurant going to be closed down or something? That better not be the case.

"Okay…?" he repeated. Douglas—who sensed something was going on—frowned.

"Well, there is no complete certainty yet," the manager said, "but we may move to a new location sometime in the near future. We're planning on an upgrade—larger building, expanded menus, more animatronic performers—and I want Douglas to know that Freddy's may change its address soon."

That completely caught Zach off-guard. Freddy's was moving? How were the girls going to react to that? And…more animatronic performers?

That almost made him freeze up. More sentient anime-tronics to join the gang…?

"The new address isn't too far away," Griffiths continued, "but Douglas will need to be ready nonetheless. I don't want this to come out of nowhere. Could you please inform him?"

"… Sure, sir," Zach said, still a little shocked. "I'll, ah, make sure he hears it."

"Thank you."

As the conversation ended, Zach looked at Douglas' worried expression.

"What's going on?" the younger one eventually asked.

Zach inhaled. "Well…they're, ah, probably going to go through an upgrade sometime soon."

Douglas' expression turned curious. "An upgrade…?"

"A different address—a better location…more animatronics."

The guard's eyes widened. "More animatronics?"

"Now, I don't know if they'll be sentient…but they could be." He shrugged. "Just…be careful, 'kay? Maybe these new ones won't turn out as friendly as the girls at the current location."

Douglas let a hand run through his hair. He let out a sigh, not sure what to think about the news. Eventually, he nodded. "I'll be careful."

"Good." After a short while, Zach grabbed his jacket. "Welp…I gotta go. It was good to see ya again, Doug."

Douglas nodded in an almost solemn way. "Likewise, Zach."

The older man gave a nod as well. "See ya."

And with that, the two brothers parted ways.

I'm keeping the doors open for a sequel. I already have some plans for the plot. Despite this, it's probably going to take a while before I'll even begin to write it. It's kind of a busy time for me.

Don't expect too many updates of any of my stories in the near future; I've got a lot on my mind, and that's not going to change anytime soon. College will see to that, I just know it.

In any case, have a good day.

~F