Notes/Explanations:
1. I know I usually update once every 1-2 days, but I can explain why this chapter took 4 days. FanFiction had a problem (I don't know if you noticed) and the new reviews from the previous chapter won't appear on the reviews page, even though I got notifications for them. I had to wait for that problem to fix itself. Plus, this chapter took much longer for me to finish. It's a very long chapter... and I didn't intend for it to be.
...
We continue our journey with the Afton family. This time, in the Nightmare Realm.
Enjoy.
I'd like to thank Shade552, SuperSmasher123, Gaming to the Max, and Jude for reviewing the previous chapter.
To Shade552: Leaving Fredbear's true name unknown was a "wise choice" and a "good move," you say. Yeah, well, that response is to be expected. Also, thanks for the applause again. Juggling so many characters and deciding who to put in the spotlight in certain moments has been pretty hard.
To SuperSmasher123: You were pretty far off on your guess about "One big happy family," but that's okay. To be honest, not showing El Chip before is a big regret I have so far, but I haven't completely forgotten him. As for other characters, Henry is pretty much already Animdude, just colored red and wearing an Old Man Consequences suit. And I remember that I said, "I wanted to include as many characters as I can." I didn't say "all" the characters.
To Jude: I'm sorry if Plushtrap's early death upset you, but... he ain't comin' back. Sorry.
It was time for Fredbear and his family to go. They have to keep the Nightmare Animatronics in the Nightmare Realm until the others can reclaim control of the secret portal in the mines. Leaving will have to wait, though. Baby asked her father Springtrap for the "gift" that he made for her. Golden Freddy reluctantly agreed to take Baby and Springtrap to The Scrapyard to procure that "gift." The rest of the family wait for them to return. This gives Fredbear some time to talk to an old friend. The very animatronic responsible for giving him new life in Faztopia.
"That was a great speech," Fredbear started.
"Speak from your heart, not your mind," said The Puppet.
"This kinda sucks, though. We only just saw each other again, but we have to go to war," said Fredbear. "We're already dead, but... well, as the saying goes, there are fates far worse than death."
"Yeah, it does suck," The Puppet agreed. "But there's nothing we can do about it."
"But if I did create the Nightmare Realm, then this is my fault," Fredbear thought sadly.
"No, that isn't on you," said The Puppet. "We're working with forces we don't fully understand. I give life and have the most power out of every animatronic, but that doesn't mean I know and do everything. I made mistakes, some more unforgivable than others."
"All this happened because Dad started killing kids," said Fredbear. "Don't know whether to blame him or blame him and myself."
"Your Dad made the biggest mistake out of all of us. But unlike you, he did that on his own. You were just a victim," said The Puppet. "Like the rest of us."
"And it wasn't even Dad's fault I ended up here," said Fredbear. "I can't tell if he really loves me, but he definitely cared about me enough that he hated my brother for what he did to me. I should feel loved, maybe a little bit."
"Are you really happy to see your family again?" asked The Puppet.
"Dad - not so much. Baby and Mommy - I am," said Fredbear.
"And me?" asked The Puppet.
"I missed you," Fredbear said sincerely. "After my sister died... and my Mom... you were the only one there to wipe the tears off my face, protected me from my brother, and helped me feel like I was loved. Without you, well, you know now what happened to me."
"I wish I could've done something," The Puppet said sadly. "I missed you, too, you know. I just thought you were at peace, but here you are."
"Despite all the messed up stuff that happened to get us here, I'm happy to see you again," said Fredbear. "Marionette."
The Puppet just chuckled. Fredbear's only the second person to call her that, the other one being her second-in-command Golden Freddy. "The Puppet" feels like a title, whereas being called "Marionette" makes her feel like she's more than just her role.
"And I, too, am happy to see you again," said The Puppet.
Fredbear and The Puppet share a long and comforting hug. It feels like forever since they've held on to each other like this. Back then, Fredbear was a traumatized little boy who never stops crying, while The Puppet was a little girl who has always been supportive of people she cared about. Ballora watches them hug from the distance, feeling very happy to see the two of them reunited. Her son's relationship with the rest of his family is turbulent at the moment, so he needs someone to hold on to and make him feel better... besides his mother, of course.
"I won't let you down," Fredbear promised.
"Don't do it for me. Do it for you," said The Puppet.
Golden Freddy returns with Baby and Springtrap. Baby, however, looks... different. She's still Baby, but she's no longer Circus Baby. Instead of her reddish hair and pigtails, she now has wiry pigtails colored blue, red, and black. Instead of her shiny white face with red rosy cheeks, her face plates vary in colors of white. Her mouth is cracked, exposing her endoskeleton's sharp teeth. She has two power cores on her chest - one orange, one green. The bottom half of her legs are made of thin metal with springs, and she appears to be wearing roller skates. But the most obvious change in her appearance is a large claw that is attached to her right arm. She looks like a nightmarish amalgamation of spare parts.
"Well, that explains the newfound desire to cut heads off," Fredbear commented as he look at his sister's claw.
"Baby, what... what did you do to yourself?" Ballora asked, horrified by her daughter's new look.
"Relax, Mommy. It's still me," said Baby.
"It's the gift I promised her," said Springtrap. "A new body. A stronger one. More powerful. I made her better."
"And uglier," Golden Freddy added disrespectfully. "Hey, Baby, since your dad's name is Springtrap, I got a great name for you. Scrap Baby."
Baby snaps her claw in front of Golden Freddy's face, warning her of future insults. Golden Freddy is as unfazed as she is unmoved. The golden bear and the clown girl just glare at one another in failed attempts to intimidate each other.
"Don't forget. I'm not doing this for Fazbear Woods," said Baby.
"Does the garbage look come with a garbage personality," Golden Freddy continued.
"Okay, that's enough," The Puppet interrupted.
Baby and Springtrap approach their family, preparing to leave immediately with them. To say Fredbear and Ballora are a bit terrified of Baby's new look is an understatement. Just a few minutes ago, she was a cute clown-like robot. But now, she's... not so cute, for the sake of euphemism.
"Uh, nice look, sis," Fredbear said nervously.
"Don't worry, brother. I'm only using this claw on our enemies," said Baby.
"You were only gone for five minutes. How did you even get fitted up like that so quickly?" Fredbear asked.
"Soul transference," Springtrap answered. He glares at the animatronic guardian and says, "You've read my notes, haven't you, Puppet?"
"I have," The Puppet answered calmly.
Ballora shakes her head, disappointed again, and said, "While I understand the practical uses, I worry what it reflect on your soul."
"We don't have time to worry about such matters. This is war, remember?" Baby said. "Shall we, brother?"
Fredbear responds by taking out the inter-realm transporter and opening a dark portal, which will take him and his family to the Nightmare Realm. As for if Springtrap managed to fix the transporter, that will be seen once they enter the portal.
"Be careful," said The Puppet.
"See you on other side, then," said Fredbear.
Fredbear holds Ballora's hand. Ballora holds Baby's hand (er, claw). Baby holds Springtrap's hand. The four of them exchange determined looks, motivating each other. After nodding at one another, they all run towards the portal at the same time. And then, they jump through.
Fredbear, Ballora, Baby, and Springtrap continue to hold on as the current of the dark void carries them to the rift in the distance. They are dropped right through the rift and find themselves... still free-falling. The other end of the portal is 85 feet in the sky and facing down to the ground, meaning Fredbear and his family are in for a face-first landing. And that's exactly what happened. Fredbear, Baby, and Springtrap all landed on their faces. As for Ballora, she managed to land on all fours, keeping herself undamaged from the fall.
"Is everyone okay?" asked Ballora.
"So much for it being fixed, Dad," Fredbear dissed.
"That balloon brat didn't have all the parts I need," said Springtrap. "I had to make do with whatever he had. I had to use a springlock instead of a large bolt to stabilize the circuits."
"Worry about it later. We're here now," said Baby.
Ballora helps her family on their feet. Yes, even Springtrap. He smiles at her for helping him, but she just ignores him. They would start moving, if Fredbear wasn't frozen and staring at the storm clouds above.
"I hate being back here," said Fredbear.
"But you wanted to be here," Baby reminded.
"I know," said Fredbear. "I've literally become what I'm afraid of, but I'm still scared."
"Then let's find ourselves a Nightmare Animatronic. Maybe pounding one to dust will help with your courage," Baby suggested.
"I don't think you understand how my fears work, Baby," Fredbear said grimly.
"Then tell me," said Baby.
"That may have to wait," said Springtrap.
"Why?" asked Baby.
"Because look at where we are," Springtrap answered as he gestured to their surroundings.
The area that the family landed in is filled with jack-o-lanterns. Almost every corner is decorated with lit-up pumpkins carved with the faces of the Nightmare Animatronics. Even the trees, whether they're placed on the branches or hanging from the branches. There's even what appears to be garden patches where the pumpkins grow.
"We're in the Jack-O-Gardens," said Springtrap. "Trust me when I say that you do not want to face the residents of these in your first battle."
"Too late for that," said a scary voice. It sounded like Bonnie's voice, only deeper and echoey.
"Prepare to burn," said another scary voice. It sounded like a sharper, static-filled version of Chica's voice.
Teleporting in with flames are two Nightmare animatronics. They look like Bonnie and Chica, but nightmarish versions and look like they're created after the appearance of jack-o-lanterns. They both appear scorched on the outside, with fire lighting up their empty eye sockets.
The jack-o-lantern-looking Chica even holds a fiery jack-o-lantern instead of a cupcake.
"We were supposed to be going to Fazbear Woods now, but I see we got ourselves some intruders," said Jack-O-Bonnie.
"No outsiders step into the Jack-O-Gardens without suffering in flames," said Jack-O-Chica.
"Must we fight?" asked Ballora.
"Faztopia. Nightmare Realm. Does it matter where we are? There's always fighting," said Jack-O-Bonnie.
"That is true," Baby agreed.
"Dammit," Springtrap grunted.
"So, are you working with them now, Springtrap?" Jack-O-Chica accused.
"I work for no one, but they are my family," said Springtrap. "Now, get out of our way."
"I don't think so," Jack-O-Bonnie refused. "Jack-O-Chica, you take the pile of trash and ballet girl. I'll take the clown and the bear."
And so, the family of four take on their first battle together, against the Jack-O-Animatronics. The parents take on Jack-O-Chica. The children take on Jack-O-Bonnie. They get some distance from each other in order to cover more ground, forcing this 2v4 fight to be spread out. Springtrap, Baby, and Ballora seem ready for battle, but Fredbear is shaking. Just looking at any of the Nightmare Animatronics is giving him the wrong kind of flashbacks.
"Let's see if you can take the heat," Jack-O-Chica challenged.
Jack-O-Chica uses her magical pumpkin to summon two more jack-o-lanterns, throwing them at Springtrap and Ballora. These jack-o-lanterns burn like a pyre. Ballora manages to dance away and dodge one pumpkin, but Springtrap gets hit with the other. Jack-O-Chica runs up to Springtrap and jumpscares him with fire bursting out of her body. Ballora twirls at high speed towards Jack-O-Chica and jumpscares her so hard that the fiery-skinned chicken stumbles backwards and trips on a pumpkin.
"Thank you," said Springtrap.
"If we didn't need you, I would've left you to burn," Ballora said darkly.
"Ooh, burn!" Jack-O-Chica mocked.
Ballora responds by kicking a pumpkin at Jack-O-Chica, knocking her down again. Springtrap unleashes his springlock attack that weaken the jack-o-chicken and keeps her sitting still.
"I see you've gotten better on the battlefield, my darling," said Springtrap.
"Stop calling me that," said Ballora.
Baby (or "Scrap Baby") is slash-attacking non-stop, trying to cut Jack-O-Bonnie to pieces. Baby changes tactic and digs her claw in the dirt, propelling herself forward, using her skates to her advantage. She slashes Jack-O-Bonnie across the chest and sends him crashing against a pumpkin. Jack-O-Bonnie creates a blade-like projectile out of fire and strikes Baby with it. The fiery explosion knocks her away from him. That leaves Fredbear open and vulnerable. The golden bear is still shaking with fear. Jack-O-Bonnie toys with him by slowly walking towards him, enjoying the fear in his eyes.
"I recognize the fear in those eyes. You're Springtrap's little brat," Jack-O-Bonnie recognized. "Still afraid of us? You should be. You're gonna wish you stayed in your cage. You're out ticket out of here."
Fredbear is still shaking. He's too scared to move.
Jack-O-Bonnie takes out a flaming pumpkin, or Jack-O-Bomb, and throws it at Fredbear, hitting him and knocking him down. Jack-O-Bonnie then throws the same fiery blade he used earlier. Fredbear rolls out of the way, but the blast from the fiery explosion knocks him towards a tree. A pumpkin drops from the tree and hits Fredbear on the head.
"Fredbear!" Baby called.
Baby skates towards Jack-O-Bonnie at high speed. She kicks the jack-o-bunny in the back, knocking him towards Fredbear. Before Jack-O-Bonnie could recover, Fredbear starts hitting him in the head with his mic. Repeatedly. Just like a toddler whacking something with his/her rattle. After five seconds of whacking, Baby intervenes and puts her left hand on Jack-O-Bonnie, delivering an electric shock that knocks him out.
"What was that?" asked Fredbear.
"Another one of Dad's upgrades," Baby answered. "Now, it's me who delivers the controlled shocks."
Speaking of shocks, Fredbear just suffers yet another painful shock in the head. It hurts so much. With Ballora and Springtrap busy trying to restrain Jack-O-Chica, only Baby is there to comfort her brother.
"I swear, that wasn't me," said Baby.
"I know," said Fredbear.
"Brother, why are you so afraid?" asked Baby. "You're Fredbear now. Isn't that enough to, at least, encourage you to face your fears?"
"I didn't just see the Nightmare Animatronics in my nightmares," Fredbear said with gloom and trauma. "I've had these nightmares every night... for months. I couldn't sleep at all. Every night, it's the same routine. 12 AM to 6 AM. Nothing but a flashlight in my hand and monsters hiding in the dark waiting to attack. Every night, Baby. How is a little boy supposed to get over something like that so easily? If that wasn't enough, our big brother would scare me and mock me for my fears, in that stupid Foxy mask. If anything, he just made my nights even worse."
"Fredbear, I... I had no idea... months?" Baby is shocked and saddened. "Was I already gone or..."
"You were still alive during the first few months," Fredbear continued sadly. "You just never heard my screams. No one did. Not Mom. Not Dad. No one."
Fredbear leans against the nearest tree as he closes his eyes and tries to block the nightmares. Baby can only pat him on the back in the most comforting way she can, but it's not enough. Another hand touches Fredbear in a comforting way. It was his mother Ballora.
"I can hear your screams now," said Ballora, who heard the whole thing. "Even if they haven't stopped, you don't have to deal with the nightmares by yourself anymore. Remember what you said. You're not alone, because you have your family."
"I gotta remember," Fredbear scolded himself. "It's just so hard to forget. Preparing isn't the same as your nightmares being in front of you."
"Well, you're gonna have conquer your fears sooner, because these two are only the first of many threats," said Springtrap.
"Not helping, Springtrap," said Ballora.
"I'm just teaching our son to be stronger," said Springtrap. "Put your fears aside and focus on what you want, what you need to do. Such as now. We have to get to my lab and secure my machine."
The family start to leave the Jack-O-Gardens. Both Jack-O-Bonnie and Jack-O-Chica are nailed to trees with springlocks. It won't hold them forever, but Ballora told Springtrap that The Puppet would prefer it if they don't go in with a destroy-first mindset. Their goal is to distract the Nightmare Aniamtronics, as well as get to Springtrap's dream machine underground.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
There are two ways into Springtrap's lab. One is from a secret passage inside the strange house where the Nightmare Animatronics live. Since that option is obviously off the table, the only other way in is through the corn maze in the backyard. Of course, they still have to sneak through the Nightmare Animatronics inhabiting this realm in order to get to the backyard peacefully. Not wanting to go through the front gate, Springtrap leads them around the back. The tall fence
"Never thought you'd have to sneak around your own turf, didn't you, Springtrap?" Ballora said in a subtly teasing manner.
"This was never my turf," said Springtrap.
"You pride yourself as powerful, but you can't stand up against your masters," Ballora mocked, yet in her soft and gentle tone.
"Wait, this house," Fredbear paused. "It looks... I remember..."
"Not now, son," Springtrap interrupted.
"Geez, don't have to be so rude," said Fredbear. "I feel like I never knew you at all. Oh, wait. I never did."
Springtrap sighs, annoyed and mildly angered. Everyone but his daughter judges him for who he really is and what he really does. But he just focuses on getting into the corn maze. Instead of climbing over the tall metal fence, he heads straight for the corn maze's tall wooden walls. There's a cracked spot that they can break through.
"I guess it's whacking time," Fredbear said as he prepared his microphone for more whacking.
However, Springtrap beat him to it. The rotting bunny just punches through the cracked spot, breaking a hole in the wall big enough for all of them to walk through. This surprised his family.
"Or whacking time comes later," said Fredbear.
"Don't let my decomposed appearance deceive you. I'm still powered by the magic of the Nightmare Realm," said Springtrap. "Follow me."
"In different circumstances, that would be a bad idea," Fredbear muttered.
Into the corn maze they go. Springtrap starts sticking to the walls and walking slowly. This confuses Baby, Ballora, and Fredbear. Springtrap just gestures them to follow his lead, and they do. They stick closer to the walls and walk as quietly as they can.
"Why are we sneaking?" Baby whispered.
"Shh," Springtrap shushed his daughter.
"Wait, I think I remember why," Fredbear said quietly.
"I can hear someone... creeping," said Ballora.
The four hear footsteps from the other side of the maze. They're getting louder, which means something is getting closer to their location. Springtrap points at the cardboard cutouts all over the maze. They can use these cutouts to hide from whatever's lurking around the maze. Fredbear and Baby hide behind a Puppet cutout. Springtrap hides behind a Spring Bonnie cutout. Ballora hides behind a cutout of the Funtime Animatronics. The thing that is following them reaches their location, only it doesn't know where they are.
This thing... it's a nightmarish Foxy of some sort. It's on fire and its exterior appears scorched, just like a Jack-O-Animatronic. Instead of a hook, it has a sickle attached to its right hand.
The sight of this thing, it's doing something to Fredbear's head. The sight of this Foxy, it triggers another mental shock, a literal one, to Fredbear. This causes Fredbear to grunt, scream, and stumble out of his hiding spot.
"Darn," Springtrap cursed.
Fredbear trips himself and falls on his back. His eyes close when his head hit the ground. When he opens his eyes, he immediately sees the Jack-O-Foxy animatronic looking down at him. Jack-O-Foxy raises his sickle and slashes right at Fredbear, who manages to roll out of the way. Fredbear crawls backwards in fear, but he hits a wall. Jack-O-Foxy saunters towards the golden bear menacingly, dragging his sickle against the dirt ground, as if he's trying to intimidate his pray.
"Fred... bear," Jack-O-Foxy growled, like it could barely talk.
"Stay away from my son," Ballora threatened.
Ballora comes in twirling with her arms spread out, striking Jack-O-Foxy as hard as she can, pushing the fox away from her son. Baby grabs Jack-O-Foxy's sickle and delivers a controlled shock, staggering him. Springtrap uses a springlock attack that weakens Jack-O-Foxy's defenses, and then throws a nearby pumpkin at him.
"My son, are you okay?" asked Ballora.
"No, I don't think am," Fredbear said, still scared.
"What is it about this thing?" asked Baby.
"I... I don't know... when I looked at him... I could see... a Foxy mask... Fredbear's teeth... springlocks," Fredbear answered, unable to speak clearly from fear.
Foxy mask. That's all they needed to hear. And they know one person in the family who loves wearing a Foxy mask. This Jack-O-Foxy is the embodiment of the very person who is responsible for how Fredbear ended up here in the Nightmare Realm in the first place. If they want to make him feel better, they have to destroy this thing.
"Listen, Grimm Foxy," Springtrap interrupted. "Stand down. I am an ally of the Nightmares. These are my prisoners. I am simply escorting them to my lab for"
"What am I? Stupid?" Grimm Foxy accused.
"Then it's the hard way, then," Springtrap decided. "I can already picture his wretched face underneath that burning shell. That should make this easier."
Baby skates towards Grimm Foxy and slashes him in the chest with a backhand motion of her claw. Ballora casts a magic spell that clobbers Grimm Foxy with purple musical notes. Springtrap rushes towards Grimm Foxy and punches him in the face, many times. Springtrap then grabs Grimm Foxy by the leg and tosses him at a cardboard cutout of Foxy.
"Defender of the corn maze, huh? A pathetic one," Springtrap insulted.
Grimm Foxy responds to his insult by summoning three jack-o-lanterns, throwing one each family member. One at Ballora. One at Baby. One at Springtrap. These jack-o-lanterns leave behind a blaze of fire, though, blocking the others from Fredbear, who is trapped within the fire arc with Grimm Foxy.
"Let's finish this, shall we?" Grimm Foxy said menacingly.
Grimm Foxy manages to get one successful slash, scratching Fredbear's right cheek. Fredbear tries using his mic to block Grimm Foxy's sickle, but gets pushed down by Grimm Foxy's other hand. Grimm Foxy ignites his sickle with fire and prepares to finish the fight.
"No... No... NO MORE!" Fredbear shouted, fed up of being scared.
Fredbear's outburst creates a large and bright light that engulfs Grimm Foxy, causing him to scream in agony. The rest of the family watch as the light grows bigger and bigger, dealing more damage and pain to Grimm Foxy. Fredbear himself couldn't believe what was happening either, as if he didn't know that he could do something like this.
The light disappears quickly and what's left of Grimm Foxy is... a Foxy plush.
The Foxy plush falls to the ground. Baby walks over to the plush and picks it up with her left hand. She opens her claw and puts it around the Foxy plush, as if she was going to cut off its head.
"I wish it was really you, big brother," Baby said to the plush. Anger and desire for revenge filled her voice. "For the pain you've caused our little brother, I wish I could spray my claw with dark magic so you don't get to go up there in peace."
"Baby," Fredbear interrupted. "If that was really him, would you really want to hurt him that bad?"
Baby's claw shakes as she wrestles with the decision to cut off the Foxy plush's head. If she does it, it means more than just spitting on Grimm Foxy's grave. It'll symbolize her desire to do the same thing to her older brother, not just to hurt him but also to condemn him to down there for eternal torment. After all that shaking, Baby puts down her claw.
She does, however, give the plush a controlled shock. She then throws it aside, leaving it a singed and damaged toy.
"What about you, little brother? If that was really him, would you forgive him?" asked Baby.
"I... I'm not... I thought I heard someone say, I'm sorry, before I died. It sounded like him," Fredbear remember. "But, no, I don't think I can, not so easily."
"I understand," said Ballora. "But he's still family, and we will all have to give him our forgiveness one day, no matter how much we don't want to."
"You wouldn't give it to him easily?" asked Fredbear.
"I'm not gonna let motherly love blind me from how he treated you," said Ballora. "He wasn't a good boy. But now knowing about the nightmares you suffered... me not being there for you... him making you feel worse every day... forgiveness won't come easy."
"Are we finished contemplating about whether or not to forgive that sorry excuse for a son of mine?" Springtrap interrupted.
"At least I know what your father will say to your big brother," Ballora said sarcastically.
"But what was that, Fredbear? You just turned Jack-O-Foxy... Grimm Foxy... into a plush. How did you do that?" Baby wondered curiously.
"Fascinating, isn't it?" Springtrap commented. "My son, your dream energy. They can do extraordinary things. Perhaps this should convince you to let go of your fear. The braver you are, the more in control you are of your power."
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
The last time Springtrap was here, he unknowingly led unwanted visitors into his secret lab beneath the Corn Maze. This time, he knowingly but hesitantly leads his own family down to the cellar in the maze, which leads to his secret lab. Down the elevator and they have arrived. All that's left is crawl through the open duct in front of the elevator. Springtrap goes first, then Baby, then Ballora, and in the back is Fredbear.
"The layout is... familiar," said Ballora.
"Don't beat around the bush, Mommy. It's exactly the same as the place we're thinking of," said Baby.
"Motion trigger. Entryway vent," the lab computer spoke. "Dollhouse maintenance vent opened."
"Oh, no," said Springtrap.
"Oh, no? Oh no what?" asked Fredbear.
"When we get out of this vent, we need to crawl through the vent to the left, to the Dollhouse," said Springtrap.
Springtrap crawls out of the vent quickly, followed by his family. Before they could turn left, they see something in the central hub blocking. Some things, as in plural.
"Darn, they let them out already," said Springtrap.
The "them" that Springtrap is referring to are the three plush dolls in front of them. They stand almost half the size of regular animatronics. What stands out about them is that they look like Circus Baby, but they come in different colors - red, blue, and yellow.
"Why do they look like me?" asked Baby.
"I'll answer later. Right now, keep them off your path," said Springtrap.
Springtrap runs towards the left vent, only to get jumped on by the red PlushBaby. It keeps pounding him in the face with its soft but twitchy arms. Pulling it off of his face seems to be a tough task for Springtrap.
"This should be no problem," Baby assumed.
Unfortunately for Baby, the right eyes of the other two PlushBabies start to glow red.
"Uh-oh," said Fredbear.
Red lasers come out of the eyes of the PlushBabies. The blue PlushBaby's laser beam grazes Ballora's shoulder. The yellow PlushBaby's laser beam deflects off of Baby's claw, which she used to deflect the beam. However, Baby accidentally deflects the beam at Fredbear, hitting him in the back.
"Ow!" Fredbear cried.
"Oops," said Baby.
The yellow PlushBaby leaps towards Baby, but she quickly decapitates it with her claw. Fredbear, meanwhile, is still lying on the ground, hurt, all the while the blue PlushBaby prepares to attack.
"Don't worry, son. I'm here," Ballora assured.
Ballora casts a musical spell with a double effect. Heal Fredbear and damage the PlushBaby. Baby grabs the stunned blue PlushBaby and shocks it until it's no longer functional.
"Thanks, Mom," said Fredbear.
"That's what a mother does. Make her children feel better," said Ballora.
As for Springtrap, he manages to grab the red PlushBaby off his face. The red PlushBaby's right eye starts to glow, meaning it's about to fire a laser. Hearing more PlushBabies crawling through the vent to the left, Springtrap comes up with a plan. Timing it right, Springtrap manages to turn the PlushBaby's direction into the vent and uses its laser to destroy all the PlushBabies in the vent.
"Let's go," Springtrap called.
Everyone gets into the vent and crawls into the "Dollhouse," as it says on the label above the duct. As it turns out, the Dollhouse is a factory for plush dolls. There are sentient PlushBabies everywhere. There are non-moving PlushBabies on the conveyor belts. It appears that the PlushBabies are brought to life through a three-step process. Step 1: Make the plushie. Step 2: Weaponize plushie (such as the eye lasers). Step 3: Inject with dark artificial souls. If they let the machine keep going, there will be too many PlushBabies for them to handle.
"Why are you making scary sentient plushies designed after my sister?" asked Fredbear.
"It wasn't just supposed to be PlushBabies. We were supposed to create a whole army of weaponized plushies of all faces, to attack each faction from within," Springtrap revealed. "But Nightmarionne has clearly taken over the operation after you kidnapped me."
PlushBabies everywhere attack by either pouncing at the animatronics or shooting lasers from their eyes. Fredbear, Springtrap, Baby, and Ballora split up and take cover, as well as fending of any PlushBaby attacking them up-close.
Fredbear uses his mic like a baseball bat and swings away PlushBabies leaping at him. Deciding to experiment, he waves his mic like a wand. To his surprise, it creates waves of golden magic. He throws these magical golden waves at three PlushBabies who were about to ambush him.
"Awesome," Fredbear cheered quietly.
Baby is just decapitating and bisecting PlushBabies left and right as she skates around the room. She ends up bumping into the converyor belt, though, causing two PlushBabies to jump at her. She uses her controlled shock ability to get them off her face. Unfortunately, five more jump all over, be it face or legs.
"This is worse than the Minireenas," Baby complained.
Ballora is twirling non-stop to keep the PlushBabies from latching onto her. A laser beam hits her and causes her to lose balance. The PlushBaby who fired that beam jumps at her, but she damages its sensors with a surprising jumpscares, allowing her to kick it away.
"Just like children," Ballora commented.
Springtrap marches towards the on/off switch, with two PlushBabies pulling on his legs. Whenever a PlushBaby would jump on him, he just grabs it off him and nonchalantly throws it away. He makes it to the switch and pulls it, shutting down the whole operation. Springtrap grabs both of the PlushBabies holding on to his legs and uses their lasers to destroy PlushBabies who were about to jump on him from above.
"That should take care of them," said Springtrap. "At least until I'm forced to start the whole thing all over again."
Fredbear, Baby, and Ballora managed to destroy every single sentient PlushBaby in the room. Baby had to intentionally skate herself to a wall to shake off five PlushBabies from her body before either shocking them or cutting them to pieces.
"So much for my improvements," Baby said, bummed.
"As I said, it wasn't finished," said Springtrap. "And these plush dolls, they're designed to be as deadly as animatronics three times their size."
"You must be proud of yourself. They could've destroyed us," Ballora said derisively.
"Must you insist on belittling me, my darl... woman?" Springtrap retorted.
"Only because you started this whole mess. Don't deny it," said Ballora.
"Let's just secure my machine," said Springtrap.
Springtrap and Fredbear lead Baby and Ballora into the main lab. Right through a plain-looking door to the room where Springtrap keeps the main machine. Fredbear keeps his distance and stays by the door, not wishing to step closer to that machine again. Ballora stays behind as well to make sure he's fine. Baby and Springtrap walk closer to the machine. Springtrap marvels at his mechanical and engineering skills, while Baby looks at her father's work with awe. But when her eyes move towards her father, that awe turns into a devious expression.
"Will it work? Bring us back to life?" Baby asked.
"With your brother's help, it just might," Springtrap answered quietly.
"How far will it go? Will we still be spirits in metal shells, or will we be resurrected completely?" asked Baby.
"Either way, it'll do," said Springtrap.
Even though Fredbear can't hear them conspiring, Ballora can (it's part of her programming). She's more than disappointed to hear that Baby continues to stand by her father's side. Ballora hoped that Baby hesitating to cut off the head of the Foxy plush was a sign that she was moving towards the right direction. Those hopes might be dashed. Ballora enters the room to give both her husband and daughter a stern talking-to.
Fredbear remains by the open doorway, still too uncomfortable to be anywhere near the machine, until he hears something.
A deep monstrous laugh echoing from behind him. But there's nothing behind him. Against his better judgment, he follows the direction of the laugh. The laugh sounds scarily familiar. If it is what he thinks it is, he has to know.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
The laugh leads Fredbear back to the elevator. The lights inside suddenly flicker as an invisible force pushes a button for him. It's taking him to Level 1 (Springtrap's secret lab is Level 3). The elevator doors close and Fredbear has to wait as the elevator takes him up. A part of him wishes he brought his family with him, but he was just so curious. He feels like a little boy... but that's because he is. Even if becoming Fredbear has made him smarter and wiser, he still as the mind of a child.
The elevator stops on Level 1. A long, dark corridor towards a flight of stairs awaits. Fredbear tries to put on a brave face as he walks towards the stairs. The corridor was barely lit and the lights keep flickering, startling him many times. For one second, he could've sworn he saw a sharp-toothed monster flash into his view. Fredbear walks up the stairs and finds a dead end. Or is it? There's a switch on the wall. He pulls it. The switch opens the wall in front of him, opening a passage that leads him to what appears to be a living room.
"Wait, I think I remember this house," said Fredbear.
The secret passage that Fredbear just walked out of, it was behind a fireplace. But what sticks out to him the most is a very familiar-looking lamp.
"This is... my home," Fredbear remembered.
That scary laugh echoes through the walls again, capturing his attention. As much as he wanted to explore what appears to be his old home, he needs to know if this laugh is coming from who he thinks it's coming from. There are two long hallways out of the living room. Fredbear takes the hallway to the right, since that's where he heard the laugh.
He walks pass a grandfather clock, which also looked familiar, as he makes it to the end of the hall. There's a door, which is slightly open. He pushes the door further open and finds...
"My room," Fredbear recognized.
It's his old bedroom. A large space at the end of two hallways. Two doors, two ways in. A Freddy plush on the bed. A Bonnie plush by the left door. A Chica plush by the right door. A Foxy plush in the closet. A purple fan on top of a dresser. A caterpillar-like toy on the ground. Next to the closet is a strange purple robot.
"Something's missing here," Fredbear noticed.
"You mean, this thing?" A deep, menacing voice spoke from behind him.
Fredbear slowly turns around and sees... him. A Nightmare Animatronic with a golden exterior, sharp teeth, and sharp claws. His hat and bow tie both are both colored purple. It's Nightmare Fredbear, who throws down a plastic purple telephone (the "missing" item from the room). Fredbear looks down at the toy phone, and then back up at Nightmare Fredbear... who just vanished.
"I sensed your fear. I thought it's time we met face to face," Nightmare Fredbear said from nowhere.
Fredbear turns towards his bed, only to see Nightmare Fredbear's disembodied head on top of it, scaring him. It's triggering yet another flashback to his horrific nightmares. The lights flicker, and the head disappears.
"I'm-I'm n-not afraid of you," Fredbear lied. He stuttered.
Fredbear grabs a nearby flashlight and looks out into the hallway, hoping Nightmare Fredbear is no longer in the room. The light of the flashlight flickers and then turns off for a second, only to reveal Nightmare Fredbear stomping down the hallway. Fredbear closes the door immediately.
"One does not simply conquer fear so easily, especially when that fear is me," Nightmare Fredbear said with intimidation. "Does this room bring back memories? Memories of nightmares? Memories of me?"
Fredbear turns around and sees Nightmare Fredbear, who somehow managed to get into the room despite the closed door. Nightmare Fredbear didn't need his prey to say anything. The fear in Fredbear's face says it all.
"Let's see if you've learned anything," Nightmare Fredbear challenged.
Nightmare Fredbear raises his clawed hand and slashes at Fredbear. Fredbear rolls on the floor to dodge the claw attack. He grabs the Freddy plush and throws it at Nightmare Fredbear, who just grabbed it and threw it back at him. Nightmare Fredbear performs a bite attack that sends a magic beam of a dark gold color at Fredbear, blasting him onto his bed. Fredbear tries blasting a golden beam from his microphone, but it barely affects Nightmare Fredbear. Nightmare Fredbear roars as he pounces. Fredbear jumps off the bed in time.
"You've learned nothing," Nightmare Fredbear roared.
Nightmare Fredbear leaps again for a slash. Fredbear ducks, causing Nightmare Fredbear to sink his claws into the wall. However, Fredbear fails to dodge the next slash, which sends him crashing into the closet with a scratch mark across his face.
Nightmare Fredbear tries his magic bite attack again. With Fredbear cornered in the closet, the dark gold magic beam from Nightmare Fredbear's bite hits him and damages both him and the closet walls. Fredbear has bruises on his arms and face as he struggles to get back up. Nightmare Fredbear grabs Fredbear by the leg, pulls him out of the closet, and slams his face onto the floor.
"I won't destroy you, but you'll wish for damnation," said Nightmare Fredbear.
While Nightmare Fredbear prepares for another bite attack, Fredbear lies on the floor, feeling too weak to fight back. If only I can do what he can, Fredbear thought. As if the universe heard him, his mic lights up and summons a golden prize ball. Fredbear grabs it and quickly points it at Nightmare Fredbear. The ball opens and unleashes a dark gold magic beam, just like Nightmare Fredbear's bite attack. The beam hits Nightmare Fredbear and severely damages him.
Nightmare Fredbear lies by the dresser. His endoskeleton is burning and smoking, due to the damage dealt by the prize ball's surprise attack.
"You mimicked my attack," Nightmare Fredbear said weakly. "Impre-pressive."
Not wanting to see that nightmarish face again, Fredbear lights up his mic and hits Nightmare Fredbear with it as hard as he can. Instead of destroying him, the hit from the magic mic covers Nightmare Fredbear with bright light. The light dies quickly and leaves behind a plush version of Nightmare Fredbear.
Despite his opponent now being a (almost) harmless-looking plush, Fredbear could still hear that laugh.
Fredbear won. He beat Nightmare Fredbear. Despite that, he drops to his knees, not just because of the damage he's taken but also because of the mental toll this battle took on him.
"Brother," a soft voice said from the left door.
It's Scrap Baby, who was watching from the open door. She skates in and kneels down next to her hurt brother. She looks at the singed parts of his skin. It looks bad, but he's still in one piece, which is the important thing.
"How much of it did you see?" asked Fredbear.
"I saw you mimic his attack, and then beat him," Baby answered.
"They say a bedroom is where a child should feel the most safe. But not for me," said Fredbear. "Every night since... since... it's been nothing but six hours of nightmares. You can't even imagine how scary it was."
"Brother, please, tell me. Why did you have these nightmares?" asked Baby.
"I saw Dad in a Spring Bonnie suit luring my best friends away to the back of Freddy's pizzeria. They never came back. I don't think that's a coincidence," Fredbear answered sadly. "I didn't know it was him at first, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. Every night, I see it in my dreams. And those dreams into nightmares."
"Dad did wha... if you knew it was him, why didn't you tell anyone?" asked Baby.
"Who was I supposed to talk to? A brother who never stops scaring me? A sister who keeps laughing at me?" Fredbear answered.
An uncomfortable feeling sparks in Baby's heart because of those words. As her brother said, she was still alive when he started having nightmares of the animatronics. And now she remembers how she treated him. She just laughed at him for his fears, like their older brother. She never put on a mask to scare him, but she did nothing to help him.
"I wasn't a good sister, wasn't I?" Baby realized sadly.
"Are you offering to be one now?" Fredbear questioned.
"Is this about me trying to win Daddy's love?" Baby replied.
"You do whatever you want to. Mom and I can't stop you. Just, please, help me this time," Fredbear pleaded.
"I will," Baby promised.
This tender moment between brother and sister is interrupted by a flash of light, as if lightning has struck the room. Hovering over the golden bear and the withered clown is Nightmarionne himself, staring down at the intruders with a terrifying glint in his eyes. He immediately sees the Nightmare Fredbear plushie and senses dark magic within it. It didn't take long for Nightmarionne to know what had happened here.
"I see you defeated my second-in-command, child. I'm impressed," said Nightmarionne. "Your dream energy is unique and powerful indeed. I will enjoy taking that power from you."
"You'll have to destroy me first," Fredbear challenged. He tried to sound brave.
"And to do that, you'll have to go through me first," Baby said as she stood in front of her brother.
"Oh, not yet," said Nightmarionne. "I know why you are here. You are here to force a delay in our attack. The Jack-O-Animatronics were kind enough to alert us, but this is as far as you and your family can go."
"My family. What did you do to them?" asked Fredbear.
"Nothing, yet," said Nightmarionne. "But now that I know, I shall arrange a surprise for The Puppet. The nightmare is just beginning!"
Lightning flashes as Nightmarionne disappears. The Nightmare Fredbear plush disappeared as well, which meant that Nightmarionne took it with him. Worse, he figured out about the distraction plan. Who knows what he has in store for The Puppet and the others?
I have this nasty habit of stretching out chapters without intending it. The chapters just keep getting longer and longer as this story goes on. Sure, maybe that's because the story is progressing towards the endgame, but some chapters end up being longer than intended. I even did the math. The first 13 chapters have an average of 2,800+ words per chapter. The next 12 chapters have an average of 4,800+ words per chapter. And considering how much content I'm adding to the next chapter... I may need another 3-4 days, if not 5-7. Depends on how much energy I have for the next chapter.
...
Notes/Explanations:
2. I suppose I should address this matter since it's popped up in the reviews multiple times. The Older Brother of the Afton Family. I've pondered on whether or not to add him in this story. If he was gonna be anyone here, I would've made him Grimm Foxy. But in the end, I decided not to. Instead, Grimm Foxy is just a nightmarish embodiment of the very person who has caused Crying Child so much pain. I know not including the Older Brother may be disappointing to you and it makes for an incomplete Afton family reunion, but he was never supposed to be here and I decided to keep it that way. I'm really sorry if that's upsetting.
3. Nightmare Fredbear teleporting in and out of the bedroom is a reference to Night 5 of FNaF 4. Now that'll give Crying Child/Fredbear some seriously scary flashbacks, won't it?