Hello readers! Welcome back to the (hopefully) highly anticipated sequel many of you have been waiting for! Yes, Wreck it Freddy's 4 has finally arrived, and get ready for another intense roller coaster ride! Are you ready for Freddy? I hope so, because without further ado, may I present the first chapter! Enjoy as always!
Mike bit his lip, glancing around the room as everyone awaited for him to speak. It was the conclusion of another Bad Anon meeting, all of the attendees uttering the phrase of the day to help promote mental and emotional healing. They had gone around the room, now Mike's turn to say the phrase. His nerves increased, only calming when he felt a comforting hand pat him as gently as possible. He glanced up, forcing a smile as Ralph gave him an encouraging nod. Mike took a deep breath before standing up.
"I, Mike Schmidt, forgive myself for what I am scripted to do..." He paused for a moment. "... outside of gameplay, I am my own person."
Clyde nodded, smiling proudly. "I know that took a lot for you to say, Mike. I think you deserve a round of applause."
The room clapped politely, those who COULD clap, and Mike smiled nervously as he sat down. "Thanks, Clyde."
"Okay, so for next week, we will be addressing stigmas between bad guys and how appearances come off to others. We'll talk about how we can overcome that stereotype and how to boost your confidence level. Great job everyone." Clyde said, everyone in the room getting up to take their leave. "And Bowser, you still need to help me patch up that hole you left on the south wall..."
"Thanks for letting me tag along, Ralph." Mike said to his larger-than-life friend as they boarded the small train to exit Pac-Man, along with the other arcade's resident bad guys.
"Don't mention it." Ralph smiled as he gently patted the smaller man on the back. "I hope you find what you're looking for in these meetings. And that you actually believe the mantra you just said." He added pointedly.
Mike sighed as the train started up, zipping along the electrical cord tunnel towards Game Central Station. "I WANT to believe it, but... it's hard."
"I know." The wrecker frowned, sighing as he recalled his own early meetings with Bad-Anon. "It'll take some time for you to heal inside, okay? Don't try to rush the process."
"Gee, you sound like Clyde." Mike grinned up at him.
"Eh, when you hear the same basic message every day, after a while, you start regurgitating it." Ralph chuckled. "But I'm serious, don't expect a miracle after just a few days, okay?"
Mike nodded, inwardly sighing as the train came to a halt. He wanted nothing more than to believe that he was a good person, that he wasn't just the product of a madman's brainwashing, someone who went around killing children for...for what reason, exactly? WHY would he do such a thing, brainwashed or not?
"Hey, you comin'?"
Ralph's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, prompting Mike to scurry off the train and catch up. "Sorry, was thinking."
"I could tell." Ralph said worriedly. "Maybe you should get some rest. Don't need you passing out on us while we finish up building the new housing development." He added as a slight joke.
What with all the animatronics being homeless now thanks to their game being unplugged for good, they were all in need of permanent homes. There were so many of them that they needed their own safe community to live in, so Felix and Ralph proposed making them a neighborhood in their own little corner of Niceland.
"I'll be fine." Mike assured him, rubbing the back of his neck. "You go on ahead, though, I'll catch up later. Might see what Jeremy's doing."
Vanellope was seen rubbing her temples, some screeching heard in the background. When she noticed Mike and Ralph, she sighed with relief.
"Thank gumdrops you're here! Foxy, BB and I have been trying to help Springtrap with speech therapy all morning! No matter what we do, he just can't control his volume!" Vanellope cried.
The familiar screech from the third Five Nights at Freddy's installment sounded once again, Vanellope groaning lightly. Though the GCS community had started to show acceptance for some of the other animatronics, the same could not be fully said for Springtrap for several reasons. One, he was the newest animatronic, and not as much was known for him. Second, he had the most ragged and worn appearance, often turning others off. Unlike the others, who had learned some social cues and some even could manage to speak a sentence or two, Springtrap struggled to communicate with others, and what would be meant as a harmless sentiment or greeting came out in an ear piercing screech that often terrified others without meaning to. Mangle and Foxy had become his biggest advocates, Mangle knowing the toil of being reduced to a social recluse.
"Maybe we should install a muffler." Ralph suggested, wincing as Springtrap emitted yet another garbled howl. "That'll for sure keep his noise level down."
"Jeremy's pretty good with mechanics." Vanellope brought up. "You think he can figure something out?"
"He's been pretty busy with Mangle lately." Mike answered her, frowning as Foxy patted a downhearted Springtrap on the back. "But he might be able to squeeze in another project... if asked nicely."
The torn up animatronic rested his face in his hand, feeling like a failure. It wasn't his fault, the poor thing, but they all agreed they needed a bit of a break from the noise.
"BB and I are going to take a nice, quiet drive around Sugar Rush... I need some peppermints for my headache." She and BB headed off, and Mike glanced over towards a shed that had been built to keep spare parts and repair equipment for the animatronics. He saw Jeremy rummaging around in there, grabbing some tools and walking further in the back. Further down the street, Felix could be seen working tirelessly on a new string of apartments.
Ralph went over to help Felix out, giving Mike a small wave of farewell. Springtrap headed off with Foxy to sit and watch the ducks in Niceland's pond; at least THEY weren't scared of him. Mike stuck his hands in his pockets and moseyed on towards the back of the neighborhood where the shed was.
Jeremy grunted as he set down a large box on the ground, blowing out his breath as he straightened up and rubbed at his aching back. "All right, Mangle, let's see if we can get that fourth leg attached today." He said as he plopped down on the ground, briefly removing his hat to wipe sweat from his brow.
In order to boost Mangle's self-confidence, and also just for the sheer ability of moving around easier, Jeremy had come up with the idea to reconfigure her to stand upright like the other animatronics. He used Toy Chica and Foxy as references, for female proportions and fox appearances respectively. When done, she would stand just a few inches shorter than Foxy and be all white with pink accents, just like her face.
The female fox garbled when she saw Mike approach, Jeremy turning his head to see him. "There you are, geez, could've used you like ten seconds ago when I was breaking my back hauling this box."
"Poor thing, what do you want, a back massage?" Mike joked at him, reaching down to roughly rub Jeremy's hat against his head.
"C'mon, Mike, quit it." Jeremy fussed at him in an embarrassed tone, tugging the brim of his hat over his eyes. "I think Mangle would like me to finish this up TODAY, not next year."
"Sorry, Mangle, I'll leave your expert mechanic alone." Mike sighed as he sat down on the grass about a foot away from Jeremy, who was now getting some things out of his box of parts. "Hey, you think when you get a chance, you can rig up a noise filter for Springtrap so he won't be so loud?"
"Easy enough." Jeremy shrugged, his eyes fixed on his hands as they worked a bolt loose. "Mangle's first priority though." He patted her on the head when she grumbled a response.
Mike nodded, leaning back a bit with his palms propping him up. "Went to Bad-Anon today."
"What for?" Jeremy asked as he wrenched the now loosened bolt onto its new home on Mangle's leg. "You're not a bad guy, why do you need to..." He stopped in mid-sentence and sighed, turning his head slowly towards Mike. "Mike, we've talked about this."
"I still feel terrible, Jer... I can't help it. I killed those kids..."
"Mike, you are a victim of abuse." Jeremy stated flatly with a serious look on his face. "Phone Guy jacked your head up by almost killing you as a kid, and then he took advantage of it later on to knock off a bunch of kids. If not for that, you'd be a normal person with no issues whatsoever. You're innocent, okay?"
"What if there's more to it than that?" Mike rubbed at his head, leaning forward a bit as he stared at the grass he was sitting on. "What if I had the idea to kill them on my own? I had to have a reason to go along with it. What if I-"
"Mike, just... stop." Jeremy gripped his friend's shoulder and squeezed it. "Why does it even matter? We're not connected to the games anymore. We have new lives, new friends, everything's different. Does it really matter what we did in the past anymore?"
"It does to ME!" Mike suddenly raised his voice, causing Jeremy to flinch and remove his hand. "Just because you don't feel bad anymore about killing innocent children doesn't mean that I shouldn't feel bad either!" He blinked when he realized what he'd just said, horrified to see the hurt expression Jeremy was wearing. "Aw, man, I'm sorry, Jer…" he immediately apologized, reaching a hand out. "I- I didn't mean-"
Jeremy looked angry then, smacking Mike's hand away from him. "The hell, Mike, just because you feel bad doesn't mean you can come over here and try to make ME feel bad."
"I'm sorry..."
"And for the record, I DO feel bad about what we did to those kids." Jeremy added through clenched teeth as he hung his head down, his hands shaking as he tensely gripped the tools he still held. "I just don't wallow in it anymore. I get sick of being tied down to the past, a past I'd rather forget. Why can't you just... just move on, Mike? Be happy... with how things are NOW?"
Mike blew a slow breath out, his eyes shutting. "I wish I could..." He muttered as he stood up, leaving Jeremy and Mangle to themselves.
Mangle glanced back and forth between the two young men, nosing at Jeremy's knee and whining. Jeremy fixed his hair under his hat, wiping under his eyes. "I'm not going to feel bad about moving on, okay? Dammit... fine, I guess I could've been nicer, but..." He exhaled deeply, dropping the subject as he silently continued working.
Meanwhile, Calhoun bit her lip, finishing using a power drill to secure some lumber on the new apartments. She and Felix had been working non-stop to get the structure built, a permanent home for the animatronics that had grown from few to now, a dozen. Between the Penthouse, which the Nicelanders had not been happy about, and Vanellope's castle, there just wasn't enough room anymore for comfort. Wiping a brow, Calhoun hopped off the lower beam, dusting herself off. She did a quick look around, letting her head fall back as she hissed with annoyance.
"Dunderson, I told you to have that next batch of lumber here! Dunderson, front and center before I-" Calhoun stopped, gritting her teeth in anger upon turning a corner to find the party animal preoccupied with something else. Lady Gogo, his new girlfriend, giggled quietly as she leaned in to make out. Bobby was more than happy to oblige, his back up against the wall of the partially constructed building. "DUNDERSON!"
The two lovebirds jerked when Calhoun screamed at them, their eyes widening when the sergeant stormed over there. "Dunderson, this is a hazardous area, what are you doing bringing civilians over here!"
Lady Gogo, Sugar Rush's resident singer/dancer diva, scoffed and threw her hair back behind her shoulder. "C'mon, the poor baby's been working hard all day. Doesn't he get a break?"
"Yeah, Cap, take pity on me!" Bobby pouted, giving her a puppy-dog look for extra emphasis.
"Break time is when I say it is." Calhoun growled, not about to take sass from anyone. "And for the last time, it's SERGEANT! Now get back to work!" She pointed at Lady Gogo firmly. "And YOU stay away from the construction zone!"
"Sorry, babe, didn't mean to get you in trouble with the fun police." Bobby frowned at his girlfriend.
"It's okay, sweetie." She smiled at him, glaring at Calhoun before very pointedly giving him a kiss on the lips. "We can make up for it later."
Calhoun groaned, smacking her face with a palm as Lady Gogo strutted off, leaving Bobby with little hearts surrounding his head.
Bobby sighed blissfully. "Man... she's just the best... like a never ending party in my heart... and an even harder party in my pa-"
"Tammy!" Felix hopped up to them then, beaming. "Great news! The animatronics can start moving into the finished apartments tomorrow! Some will have to share until we finish the rest, but at least they'll be able to feel like home, sweet home!"
"Fantastic, short stack. I'm going to give the first shift of my men the rest of the day off, they need to save enough energy for gameplay tomorrow. As for YOU, Romeo, you will get the rest of that lumber piled on the east side of that building or I will kill your 'party,' understand?" Calhoun snapped.
"Aye aye, captain!" Bobby beamed, whistling as he strolled over to the lumber.
"It's SERGEANT!" Calhoun shouted. "Oh, for the love of…"
In Sugar Rush, BB, taught by Vanellope herself how to use a kart, was driving her around one of the tracks as she felt the light breeze blowing through her ponytail. She sighed lightly, rubbing her eyes. She thought that the animatronics residing in her castle moving out would bring a sense of relief, but lately, she felt more stressed and on edge than ever.
"Hello?"
"Sorry, BB." Vanellope sighed as her friend drove her around; she never thought she'd be fine being the rider and not the driver, what with the lack of control that came with being a passenger. "Just been kinda in a funk lately."
"Hi?"
"I dunno... can't put my finger on it. I just feel on edge or something all the time."
Just then, Vanellope heard the sound of another engine approaching, glancing over to see Taffyta suddenly alongside her.
"Hey, it's about time you got back! We've been waiting all morning to get the roster race started!" She shouted.
"Taffyta, I told you I was going to be helping out at Ralph's game today... couldn't you just start the race?" Vanellope asked tiredly.
"Uh, no!" She answered. "You've been so busy with this whole 'new apartment complex' that you've been slacking off here! Get your head in the game! I'll meet you by the main track!" She exclaimed, speeding off ahead of them.
BB narrowed his eyes a bit. "Hi."
"Yeah, with a capital G..." Vanellope sighed. "All I want to do right now is crawl in bed and take a nap, can't those airheads do anything on their own?"
BB shrugged, driving Vanellope to the starting line where her kart was already waiting for her... along with all of Sugar Rush.
"Where the gumdrops have you been?" Gloyd asked as Vanellope weaved through the other children's karts to get to her own.
"With my friends." She grumbled, sticking her hands in her hoodie pocket.
"It's about time you got here!" She heard Minty call out to her. "Glad to see that you remember that you have a job!"
Vanellope's hands turned into small fists, choosing not to comment. Of course they notice that she's gone for a measly few minutes nowadays, since she was their rightful ruler... back then, they wouldn't have cared if she NEVER showed up.
"Hey, what's wrong, why do you look upset?" Candlehead tilted her head a bit as she observed Vanellope walking past.
The Sugar Rush president reached her kart, her hands slamming down on the rear spoiler. Her hands glitched involuntarily, causing the kart to pixel up. Everyone gasped and stared at Vanellope, who turned around and glared at all of them.
"What's wrong?" She repeated Candlehead's question angrily. "I'll tell you what's wrong! You think it's easy for me to keep this game under control? You think it's easy having all the stress associated with running this joint? All you diaper babies do is whine about every little miniscule thing, can't you take care of yourselves for once? You never needed me before, but now that I'm the actual leader again, you all need me to wipe your butts!"
"Hey, calm down, Vanellope…" Taffyta said as she put her driving goggles on her head. "No one is-"
"No one is WHAT? Criticizing me? I already know that's what you're all doing, talking about me behind my back, just like before!" She huffed a breath, hopping into her kart. "I don't need this, I'm outta here."
BB blinked as Vanellope floored her gas pedal, leaving a few tire marks on the track as she raced off towards her castle. Everyone was left murmuring to themselves, wondering why their president was being so irrational. BB swallowed a bit, choosing to go after his upset friend, bypassing the little marshmallow men who were racing to clean up the track again.
Seems that some of our heroes are having difficulties moving on from the traumatic events faced within the walls of the first three eerie restaurants. Will these problems be remedied, or do more dark times lie ahead? Stay tuned for upcoming chapters to find out! Don't forget to leave a review with your thoughts!