[The noises of the arcade grind to a halt. Robots stop in their tracks, games power down, large screens snap to black. One by one, everything electronic goes still, and for a single, terrible moment Fiddleford is in complete and utter silence.
And then a boy's voice broadcasts throughout the arcade, as if over a giant intercom. It is distorted by static, sometimes to the point of inaudibility, but it does not sound computer-generated- it sounds real.]
Can everyone hear me? I have something to say! [There is a tangible excitement in the boy's voice, like a child who's just been told school's out on a snow day.] Today, my friend Fiddleford did something incredible. He stopped one of the bad guys.
[A large screen lights up, a projected image cutting sharply through the darkness: Madoka's rotting fog form, plainly dead and visible. One by one, more screens follow suit in all different angles: close-ups of her silvery necklace. Fiddleford's blood, coating her mouth and hands. A gouged-out golden eye, unmoving and staring up at the sky.]
She tried to hurt him. She did hurt him. But he managed to stop her from hurting anyone else. [The arcade cabinets begin displaying messages, all at once. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'RE WINNER! YOU DEFEATED! Sprites of all sorts dance on-screen, from a triumphantly 8-bit Fiddleford to a comically dead Madoka with Xs for eyes, and victorious music echoes from all of the different machine.] He's the best friend anyone could ask for.
[The lights of the arcade are all on now, artificial and blinding. But something new is happening - the robots are beginning to acknowledge Fiddleford, giving excited waves as they near him and making delighted robotic chirps everytime they face him. In the midst of the commotion, a voice broadcasts to Fiddleford's head:]
Can you come to the counter up front? I want to give you something special.
[As Fiddleford approaches the counter, a previously unseen doorway will crack open in the wall behind it. A small robot, clearly of earlier make than the others, wheels out and places something in front of Fiddleford: a large bowl, golden wires and circuitry etched into it all over. Inside the bowl is a new card to the arcade: jet black, with a hologram of spectacles and "FIDDLEFORD MCGUCKET" etched finely onto it. Underneath the card is what seems to be a printed note:]
three drops of blood three drops of venom mix with water and then think of something
i'll do the rest of the work :)
[Once Fiddleford has taken the gifts, the robot before him will inform him - in a GRATING, ROBOTIC VOICE - that he is welcome to ask anything he wishes of the robots in the arcade, and they will do everything in their power to accommodate him. He will further answer any questions Fiddleford may have, and when he is sent away he wheels back through the doorway and seals it shut once again.]
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And then a boy's voice broadcasts throughout the arcade, as if over a giant intercom. It is distorted by static, sometimes to the point of inaudibility, but it does not sound computer-generated- it sounds real.]
Can everyone hear me? I have something to say! [There is a tangible excitement in the boy's voice, like a child who's just been told school's out on a snow day.] Today, my friend Fiddleford did something incredible. He stopped one of the bad guys.
[A large screen lights up, a projected image cutting sharply through the darkness: Madoka's rotting fog form, plainly dead and visible. One by one, more screens follow suit in all different angles: close-ups of her silvery necklace. Fiddleford's blood, coating her mouth and hands. A gouged-out golden eye, unmoving and staring up at the sky.]
She tried to hurt him. She did hurt him. But he managed to stop her from hurting anyone else. [The arcade cabinets begin displaying messages, all at once. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'RE WINNER! YOU DEFEATED! Sprites of all sorts dance on-screen, from a triumphantly 8-bit Fiddleford to a comically dead Madoka with Xs for eyes, and victorious music echoes from all of the different machine.] He's the best friend anyone could ask for.
[The lights of the arcade are all on now, artificial and blinding. But something new is happening - the robots are beginning to acknowledge Fiddleford, giving excited waves as they near him and making delighted robotic chirps everytime they face him. In the midst of the commotion, a voice broadcasts to Fiddleford's head:]
Can you come to the counter up front? I want to give you something special.
[As Fiddleford approaches the counter, a previously unseen doorway will crack open in the wall behind it. A small robot, clearly of earlier make than the others, wheels out and places something in front of Fiddleford: a large bowl, golden wires and circuitry etched into it all over. Inside the bowl is a new card to the arcade: jet black, with a hologram of spectacles and "FIDDLEFORD MCGUCKET" etched finely onto it. Underneath the card is what seems to be a printed note:]
three drops of blood
three drops of venom
mix with water and then think of something
i'll do the rest of the work :)
[Once Fiddleford has taken the gifts, the robot before him will inform him - in a GRATING, ROBOTIC VOICE - that he is welcome to ask anything he wishes of the robots in the arcade, and they will do everything in their power to accommodate him. He will further answer any questions Fiddleford may have, and when he is sent away he wheels back through the doorway and seals it shut once again.]