Continuing with The Puppet's part of the story. Her party is assembled, and it's time to head into action.
I'd like to thank Shade552 for reviewing the previous chapter.
To Shade552: I hope I didn't disappoint with Lefty in this chapter.
Enjoy.
After having assembled her party, The Puppet is ready to venture to Snow-Dust Mountains to search for Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy. Her party consists of her yellow-furred lieutenant Golden Freddy, her father's creation Lefty, and enemy turned ally Shadow Freddy. One would think that The Puppet looks out of place in a party filled with bears, but appearances don't matter in war. If The Puppet has to be the leader of a bunch of bears, then she'll be just that.
Before they head off to the mountains, they need to test Lefty on the field. Since they can't waste time, they decide to train in the Gold-Rust Mines. And, immediately, they're greeted with four Quarries (underground monsters made of rocks).
"Okay, Lefty. Show them what you're made of," The Puppet ordered.
Lefty walks towards one Quarry. The Quarry throws it rocky fist at Lefty, but all that did is spin the black bear robot's head around. Lefty raises his microphone and taps the Quarry in the chest with it. The strike was weak, but the magic released from the strike was not. The microphone unleashes a pinkish white magic blast that breaks the Quarry into pebbles.
"A fraction of your power?" Golden Freddy questioned, amazed.
"If I gave him too much, he'll overload and self-destruct," said The Puppet.
"Not what I meant, but good to know," said Golden Freddy.
The Puppet grabs a Quarry by the head and overloads it with her magic, scattering its rocky bits everywhere.
The soul inside Golden Freddy shoots out of the suit like a cannonball and flies through a Quarry #2, transforming it from a rock monster into a frozen rock sculpture.
Shadow Freddy casts a shadowy spell on Quarry #4, causing it to disassemble one rock at a time.
"Simple enough, but this war is going to be anything but simple," said The Puppet.
"Goldmines incoming!" Golden Freddy alerted.
Four Goldmines (Quarries, but made of gold instead of rock) jump out and attack The Puppet's party. They're more aggressive than the Quarries. They attack quicker and the material they're made of make them a lot stronger. Lefty actually staggers backwards several feet after getting hit by one of Goldmines.
"I shall not be bested by brainless chunks of gold," said Shadow Freddy.
"Wait. Let me weaken their defenses," said Golden Freddy.
Golden Freddy casts a rainy cloud spell that lowers the Goldmines' defenses. Shadow Freddy opens his mouth and blasts a beam of shadow energy at one Goldmine, damaging it continuously until it cracks and breaks.
"Okay, Lefty. Let's test your targeting system," said The Puppet.
The Puppet holds Lefty's head and turns it like she's aiming a mounted ranged weapon. She has her sights set on the last three Goldmines. The Puppet taps Lefty's hat, causing Lefty to fire a white beam of magic from his empty left eye socket. With help from Golden Freddy's defense-lowering spell, Lefty's eye blast obliterates all three Goldmines.
"Bullseye," The Puppet cheered.
"I guess we found one animatronic who is truly The Puppet's puppet," Golden Freddy commented.
"Again, he is not alive?" asked Shadow Freddy.
"He's a machine through and through," said Golden Freddy.
"I can ask my Dad to improve his A.I., you know. Maybe then he'll be offended being called a machine," said The Puppet.
"So, are we surfacing through one of the mine entrances at Rainbow Valley?" asked Golden Freddy.
"Rainbow Valley is the nearest piece of land from the mountains, so yes," The Puppet confirmed. "On the way, we can stop by Funtime Chica's circus and see if she's more willing to ally with us. I know it's never easy, but we're running low on time. Our alliance with the Funtime Animatronics is all but certain. We need more allies. It doesn't have to be about trust. It just has to be about the need to survive."
"Finally looking at all this realistically," said Golden Freddy, glad to hear her friend's words.
"Shhhhh," The Puppet shushed. She mimicked Lefty's shushing. "Don't tell anyone that."
"Wait, did you just... record your own shushing and programmed that into Lefty?" asked Golden Freddy.
The Puppet, Golden Freddy, Shadow Freddy, and Lefty exit the Gold-Rust Mines through one of the mine entrances in Rainbow Valley. Good thing The Puppet programmed a map of the mines in Lefty's mind. That way, they wouldn't get lost. It's easy to get lost in the mines. Several dead ends and branching paths around every corner make sure that it's not easy to navigate the mines without a map. At least all the gold in here keeps the place lit up. Even with built-in lights in their eyes, navigating these mines would be far more difficult if it was pitch-black dark, not to mention far more dangerous. The monsters in the mines can see well in the dark.
"Look, I'm just saying, why don't we ask Helpy to listen in on Circus Baby while he's helping with the cleanup?" Golden Freddy suggested.
"And risk him getting scooped and digested in Circus Baby's stomach? Not a chance, Goldie," said The Puppet.
"Then it doesn't have to be Helpy," said Golden Freddy.
"My friend Shadow Bonnie would kindly take that task," said Shadow Freddy.
"No, I'm not spying on Circus Baby," said The Puppet. "Her trust is difficult enough to gain at the moment. I'm trusting her allies to be the ones to talk some sense into her."
"Unless they're lying to us as well," said Golden Freddy.
"I can see it in their eyes, Goldie. Circus Baby is the only one who was lying," The Puppet said with certainty.
Suddenly, Lefty starts beeping... and twitching.
"What's that?" asked Shadow Freddy.
"Lefty's threat detector alarm," The Puppet answered. "And, no, it's not for Quarries and Boxbytes. No, I programmed him to detect nightmare magic. And it's coming from... Funtime Chica's Party World."
Everyone holds on to Golden Freddy and he teleports them straight to the circus. Helpy mentioned to The Puppet earlier that Funtime Chica phoned him for repairs, and it's logical to assume that there was an attack. But is this a second attack? Actually, yes. The Puppet just doesn't know that the first attack was initiated by Music Man and his reason was revenge for being ostracized. Well, it's a good thing that The Puppet and her party showed up, because this attack is initiated by something possessing magic from the Nightmare Realm.
"Are they being attacked by... endoskeletons?" Golden Freddy questioned.
Funtime Chica's Party World is being attacked by an army of endoskeletons with laser blasters for arms. The black and purple sparkles emitting from them, it's the nightmare magic that Lefty detected.
"Endoskeletons cursed with nightmare magic," said The Puppet.
The Puppet and her party rush into the circus to help. Three endoskeletons notice their entrance and start blasting at them. The Puppet casts a magical shield to protect them from the lasers.
"Lefty, fry them," The Puppet ordered.
The Puppet opens a hole in the shield big enough for Lefty to fire an eye blast through, blasting one of the endoskeletons into a pile of screws and bolts.
Golden Freddy uses her haunting spell to turn one of the endoskeletons to stone (like Medusa), allowing Lefty to blast it to pieces with no problem.
Shadow Freddy blasts shadow energy out of his mouth again, right through the hole in the barrier, and destroys the third endoskeleton with ease.
"We make a great team already," said The Puppet.
"I never thought an alliance with you would feel so... rewarding," said Shadow Freddy.
"Okay, destroy as many as you can and keep the others safe," The Puppet ordered. "I have to find Funtime Chica and find out what's going on."
The Puppet pats Lefty on the head before floating away.
Golden Freddy saves the Mediocre Melodies by turning the four endoskeletons targeting them into stone, allowing the five bizarre animatronics to break them to pieces. Mr. Hippo and Orville bash Endoskeleton #1 in the head together. Happy Frog breaks Endoskeleton #2 with a ninja-like kick. Pigpatch breaks Endoskeleton #3 with his banjo. Nedd Bear just runs into Endoskeleton #4, hurting himself and breaking the endoskeleton.
"Thank you for the assistance," Mr. Hippo said the golden bear.
"Couldn't just let you die, can I?" Golden Freddy replied.
"Wait, how is she talking without her mouth moving?" Nedd Bear asked, confused.
"We all seriously need to hang out more," Golden Freddy muttered.
Rockstar Chica is getting blasted by two endoskeletons and her maracas make for poor defense items. Shadow Freddy uses a tent to sneak up on the two endoskeletons and disrupts their targeting system with his magically disorienting roar. Rockstar Chica whacks them until they break.
"Thanks, Mr. Shadow Bear-Man," said Rockstar Chica.
"Shadow Freddy," the shadowy bear corrected. "And you're welcome."
Lefty stands in one spot and proceeds blasting endoskeletons with beams from her empty eye socket. His aim is precise every single time and his eye blasts are powerful (especially since these come from The Puppet's power).
"Nice shooting," Shadow Freddy said to the black bear.
"Shhhhh," Lefty responded.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
The Puppet dismantles one endoskeleton after another as she searches for Funtime Chica. The Puppet tricks two endoskeletons into blasting each other. She uses her neon barrier to deflect a laser blast back an endoskeleton, destroying it. She sends the barrier flying against one endoskeleton and sends it crashing against another, destroying them both.
"These blasted tin cans are relentless," Rockstar Foxy complained.
"Tell me about it. I ask them for 5 coins, and they just blasted my hand off in response," said Rockstar Freddy. His left arm is missing a hand.
The Puppet destroys the two endoskeletons targeting Rockstar Freddy and Rockstar Foxy. She finds Rockstar Freddy's left hand and reattaches it to the rockstar bear's arm. He looks happier now.
"Thank you," said Rockstar Freddy.
"Where's Funtime Chica?" asked The Puppet.
"Right by her tent," Rockstar Freddy. "But can you help our friend Rockstar Bonnie first?"
"Sure," said The Puppet. "Where is he?"
"In the tent behind us," Rockstar Freddy answered.
In the tent behind the rockstar bear and rockstar fox, Rockstar Bonnie is using his own guitar as a shield against one endoskeleton's laser blasts. The Puppet sneaks up on the endoskeleton and rips its head off. Unfortunately, the body is still working. It turns around and shoots lasers at The Puppet instead, but she bashes it into pieces with its own head.
"Thank you, my dear Marionette. A gruesome demise I almost met," Rockstar Bonnie met. "My guitar, it cracks. My confidence, it is wack."
"Helpy's services and Toy Bonnie's shop can help with that," The Puppet promised. "Now, if you'll excuse, I gotta..."
"Puppet?!" Funtime Chica called. "Perfect timing."
Funtime Chica is fighting five endoskeletons alongside... Music Man? Apparently, he was let out of his cage to help defend the circus from this sudden attack. Music Man clamps his cymbals loudly and repeatedly to attack the endoskeletons with musical notes. They're barely working. Chica's exploding cupcakes (which release confetti upon detonation) are just barely staggering them.
"I see you've welcomed Music Man back to your group," The Puppet noticed.
"Not officially," said Funtime Chica.
"What happened here?" asked The Puppet.
"I don't know," said Funtime Chica. "One minute, Music Man and his army of Ballboys attacked us. The next, it's a bunch of filthy endoskeletons with laser arms."
"Helpy's gonna have a tough time repairing all this," The Puppet commented.
The damages were not too bad from Music Man's attack, but the endoskeletons are blasting down tents, rides, balloons, and food machines. They can't even use the alarm pole because it's been shot down and it fell on Funtime Chica's tent.
"You're the strongest of us. Why don't you clean this up?" asked Funtime Chica.
"I give gifts to give life, not destroy," said The Puppet. "These endoskeletons are sent from the Nightmare Realm. I doubt Nightmare would send them here without someone to supervise them. Have you seen anyone or anything strange, preferably with sharp teeth and claws?"
"Shadows," Candy Cadet said randomly.
"What did he say?" asked The Puppet.
"Shadows hiding," Candy Cadet responded.
"Shadows, huh?" The Puppet thought carefully.
The Puppet starts to light up. A white glow emanates from the marionette. The white glow slowly grows bigger. After about ten seconds of floating and glowing, The Puppet unleashes a burst of light magic that spreads all throughout the circus. All endoskeletons are destroyed. The other animatronics shield their eyes from the extremely bright light.
It didn't take long for the light to die down. The animatronics can now clearly see that every nightmare-powered endoskeleton have indeed been reduced to scrap.
"Why didn't she just do that from the start?" Pigpatch asked.
Suddenly, The Puppet falls from above and lands in a position that shows how drained she is. All that light magic she used must've exhausted her. Golden Freddy and Shadow Freddy quickly check on her.
"Are you well, Puppet?" asked Shadow Freddy.
"Yes and no," said The Puppet. "All this power I have is too much even for the body I possess. A marionette's structure is not built to hold what I have. On the bright side..."
"Jokes? Really?" Golden Freddy questioned.
"I found our culprit," The Puppet finished.
The Puppet pointed to the East side of the circus. There's a body lying down on the grass, probably because it was hit by The Puppet's light magic from earlier. It appears to be a black bunny, but its black color resembles that of a shadow. It gets up as if he had just been hit in the head with a piece of wood. What's scary is that it appears to be in a more energetic state than The Puppet is right now.
"And I thought a pint or two would make your head spin like that," The shadow bunny complained.
"Shadow Bonnie?" Shadow Freddy recognized.
"Oh, hey, bro," RXQ greeted casually.
"You are the one behind this attack?" Shadow Freddy asked, dismayed.
"Uh, duh," RXQ answered unashamedly. "You should've joined the Nightmare Animatronics, friend. They could've fed you all these souls."
"I wanted no alliance with anyone, be it The Puppet or Nightmare" said Shadow Freddy. "But The Puppet has forever sated my hunger. I owe her."
"Hey, shadow bunny!" Funtime Chica shouted angrily. "Look at what you did to my circus! Do you have any idea how much hard work I poured into making all of this?"
"Blah, blah, blah," RXQ dissed.
"Ugh! Excuse me?!" Funtime Chica responded, offended and disgusted by the shadow bunny's behavior.
"My brother, do not make us attack you," Shadow Freddy pleaded. "We must..."
"Sorry, bro, but I got more fun to have," RXQ interrupted.
RXQ grabs his inter-realm teleporter and prepares to leave, but Shadow Freddy throws his mic at his fellow Shadow Animatronic. RXQ falls down on his back again and drops his device. Shadow Freddy, Lefty, and the other animatronics of the circus surround the shadowy bunny.
The Puppet was about to grab the device, but a shadowy microphone comes out of nowhere and crash-lands on the device, destroying it to pieces. It was RXQ who did that.
"What the...?" Nedd Bear was confused, as was everyone.
"Mimicry," Shadow Freddy. "He can mimic a number of attacks. Ugh, I shouldn't have thrown my mic."
"There, there, friend. We all make mistakes," said Mr. Hippo. "Isn't it funny how even when we know something, we end up doing something that makes it look like we really don't know anything? It reminds me of that one time I was by the lake with my good friend Orville..."
"Oh, shut up, grandpa," RXQ interrupted.
"Shadow Bonnie, what was that device?" asked The Puppet.
"The reason the Nightmare Animatronics can escape the Nightmare Realm," RXQ answered. "But now, you can't go there."
"She has a way to the Nightmare Realm, dummy," said Golden Freddy.
"Yeah, I know. A portal in the mines below Black Metal Grave," RXQ knew. "Of course, it only works one way. Those who come in through the portal from Faztopia are the only ones who can get back out. But now, the Nightmare Animatronics can just leave whenever they want." He then laughed mischievously.
"Wait, if he knows where the secret entrance to the Nightmare Realm is, then..." Golden Freddy dreaded.
"That's right, Goldie. They're protecting it now," said RXQ. "You literally have no way to go to the Nightmare Realm now."
RXQ suddenly sinks into the grass. His "shadow" starts to slink away from the crowd. He's getting away. The Mediocre Melodies try to catch him, but they can't catch a shadow.
"Puppet, do something!" Golden Freddy said.
"I'm still rebuilding my strength," said The Puppet. "Fortunately... Lefty, change your eye blaster settings. Power level 10."
Lefty targets the moving shadow, making sure the crosshairs in his right eye are locked on to RXQ. A white glow sparks inside his empty eye socket. He's building up power. After a few more seconds, Lefty shoots a bigger and brighter blast from his left eye socket, much to the awe of everyone watching. The bright beam successfully hits RXQ, drawing him out of the ground and damaging him so much that he stopped moving. Not only that but Lefty's eye blast singed the grass around him, leaving a pretty big burn mark on the ground.
"Whoa," said everyone (but The Puppet).
"A fraction of The Puppet's power, huh?" Golden Freddy wondered again, amazed.
The Puppet quickly floats towards RXQ and grabs the bunny by the head, keeping him from moving anywhere, as well as making sure he looks at her in the face when they talk. Lefty's super powerful eye blast worked pretty well. RXQ is temporarily weakened. The Puppet, on the other hand, is almost back to full strength, so she should have no problem overpowering him if he tries to escape.
"Why are you here, Shadow Bonnie?" asked The Puppet. "What was the point of attacking Funtime Chica's circus?"
"Does there have to be a point? Maybe I just wanted to have fun," RXQ half-lied.
"Unless Nightmare ordered you to distract me," The Puppet guessed.
RXQ giggled. Oh, The Puppet had no idea of what's really going on in the Nightmare Realm right now.
"Snow-Dust Mountains," The Puppet realized. "That's where my children are, aren't they?"
RXQ just kept on giggling mischievously.
"You're coming with us," said The Puppet.
The Puppet takes RXQ with her as she, Shadow Freddy, and Lefty hurriedly teleport out of the circus, via Golden Freddy. The rest of the animatronics just stand in silence, wondering about what's going on and how they're gonna clean up this mess.
"So, as I was saying, Orville and I were sitting by the lake," Mr. Hippo continued. "He told me about this mistake he made in our performance the day before..."
Everyone listens to the purple hippo... except for Funtime Chica.
The Puppet's party arrive near the border of the Snow-Dust Mountains. It's almost comical how the transition between lands is the opposite of seamless. When you're walking from Rainbow Valley to Snow-Dust Mountains, the journey doesn't get colder with each step. Instead, the border is literally separated by green grass and white "snow." One step across the border and you from a warm and sunny valley to a snowy field. The map of Faztopia already shows the lack of an in-between, but seeing it up close is kinda hilarious.
Shadow Freddy keeps an eye on RXQ while The Puppet approaches the border. There is something off about all of this. The Puppet slowly raises her hand towards the border, as if she's reaching for something. She raises her hand higher and extends if forward until...
Something shocks her. Electrical sparks become visible upon contact.
"Ouch," The Puppet reacted in pain.
"What is it?" asked Golden Freddy.
"A force field," The Puppet guessed. "Powered by controlled shocks. Another creation of Springtrap's design."
"And there is only one way inside. You have to open a portal on the other side," RXQ said as he laughed at his enemies' failure.
"You're quite the blabber mouth, you know that?" Golden Freddy said.
"The Phantoms should've been here earlier," said The Puppet. "But do they know about the force field?"
"Well, I see ghoulish footprints on the other side," said Golden Freddy.
On the other side of the force field, there are footsteps that glow a charred ghoulish green, which is the same color as the Phantom Animatronics. They made it through, but how?
"Not possible. Shadows and Phantoms can't go through the force field either," said RXQ.
"Shut it down," The Puppet demanded.
"Even if I know how, I wouldn't do it," said RXQ.
"Oh, you will," Golden Freddy said threateningly. "Let us pass or I'm gonna turn you into stone. See how you like being frozen in place for days, maybe months."
"Goldie, don't," The Puppet pleaded.
"I told you. Not all animatronics are just gonna play nice if you play nice," said Golden Freddy.
"Shadow Bonnie, I beg of you, do not walk along the path of nightmares," Shadow Freddy pleaded.
"You're pathetic, Shadow Freddy. They feed you and you're suddenly obedient, like a dog," RXQ mocked.
"Shadow Bonnie, please, just let us through," The Puppet pleaded. "You like games, right? Well, you might have some entertainment waiting for you and us when we get through."
"Yeah, nice try, Puppet," RXQ refused. "But, oh boy, I would love to see what'll happen if either the Nightmares or the Phantoms find Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy. Imagine them tearing those old-school dummies apart. Ripping them piece by piece. Incinerating them while they scream. I would love a front row seat to what's about to happen..."
All of a sudden, The Puppet grabs RXQ by the head and shoves his face into the force field, shocking the shadowy bunny until he stops talking. After about ten seconds of shocking, The Puppet pulls RXQ's face away from the force field. RXQ's face is frying, as evidenced by the smoke coming from his face.
"Don't test me, Shadow Bonnie," The Puppet grunted with fury.
"Even if I knew how to turn it off, I won't tell you," RXQ repeated, despite a weakened voice due to the shocking. "Say goodbye to your children, ya gangling marionette..."
The Puppet suddenly shoves RXQ right onto the force field as she screams at his face, shocking him continuously while unleashing a soul-targeting jumpscare. All the anger and fear within The Puppet, she's channeling it into a violent act that worsens and lessens her emotional instability. RXQ's taunting, the way he describes what will happen to her children if someone else found them, it made her so... so... mad.
Realizing what she was doing, The Puppet drops RXQ and backs away from the force field.
Unexpectedly, the force field appears to short out from the prolonged shocking. Shadow Freddy walks forward and reaches pass the border. No more force field. It's gone.
"We can pass through now," said Shadow Freddy.
The Puppet, however, could not move. RXQ couldn't move as well, what with being unconscious from overexposure to controlled shocking. But The Puppet won't move because of how she felt about what she just did. Critically damaging Nightmare Mangle. Almost destroying Nightmare. And now, torturing RXQ because of the awful things he said to her. What kind of childish... I am a child, she reminded herself. But that is still no excuse to give in to her animalistic animatronic tendencies.
"Marionette?" Golden Freddy said carefully.
"Why do I almost always do that?" The Puppet asked quietly.
"Because you see yourself as a mom to us all," said Golden Freddy. "That anger you're feeling. It's not just plain old anger when someone insults you. It's anger coming from a mother's love. You care about us so much that you can't help it if you worry too much. The things Shadow Bonnie said, I can't blame you for what you did."
"I just don't want to be an animal like we were before Faztopia," said The Puppet. "Every night guard we've stuffed and killed... the memories never go away. Even if it wasn't me who did the deed, I'm the one who gave you life. I gave you the ability to live again to seek revenge. I tried to convince myself I was more aware, but I still acted like some savage machine. And now we're here, where we're supposed to be more human."
"And that rage is human," Golden Freddy assured.
"Don't tempt me to embrace it," said The Puppet.
"I'm not," said Golden Freddy. "I just want you to understand that even if you get angry, it's normal. And even if you don't like it, you can't act like you don't feel it. Like you said, we're more human here than we were in the world of the living. I know you want to be a pacifist, mostly, but you have to approach this more realistically. Besides, the force field is down. Let's focus on saving our friends."
"I guess we both have something to learn from each other," said The Puppet.
"I still want Springtrap to suffer," said Golden Freddy. "But right now, I want our friends back."
The Puppet floats towards Lefty, who was silent throughout the whole conversation. He has no soul. He's just a machine built to obey and attack. He holds a fraction of The Puppet's power, but that won't give him life, unfortunately. Still, despite the flashbacks that this black bear gives her, The Puppet is glad to have her father's creation as part of her party. She may treat him like a pet or puppet, but she treats him just like how she treats the rest of her children.
"Good boy, Lefty," said The Puppet.
"Shhhhh," Lefty responded.
Poor Puppet. She just wants her children back. You speak ill of her children, and she'll go "angry mama" on you. Shadow Bonnie/RXQ learned that the hard (and painful) way. Now, don't worry. I'll continue the mountain journey in the next chapter.
...
Notes/Explanations:
1. The endoskeletons with the laser blasters for arms. Yeah, they're basically the Endo Army from FNaF World. Only, in here, they're brought to life artificially by the Nightmare Realm's magic. I know I left out Endo-01 (because he's dead), Endo-02, and Endoplush from this story... but I just have no room in my story for endoskeletons. Except for maybe Yenndo, but that's because I didn't want the Sister Location crew to feel small.
2. RXQ's personality is meant to be like that of a mischievous troublemaker. It's just the way he moves in FNaF World that gives me that vibe.