"That was a close one…" Mike whispered with a shaking voice to the presence that continued to pursue him as he traveled to the next gallery, carefully maneuvering between cramp vents, metal doors, and dark rooms. He felt that his next opponent was getting closer. "Why are they attacking me? Clearly, I am not one of the Fazbear Inc freaks! I am younger, wear different clothes, and…"

"Maybe they've gone completely mad?" Sugar wondered. "I'll try to figure it out if you help, I promise…The next one is Ballora. She dances along her track and goes around the room, following any sounds she hears. I think you can shock her if you press the right button." All of this didn't sound reassuring, but at least it was better to have all of this info before entering the room. Oh, on the other hand, this seemed almost too clear and detailed.

"You know, for someone who says he doesn't remember anything from the past, you seem to know…A lot." Mike didn't want to throw any direct accusations yet, but the suspicions within him gradually arose.

"I…I'm just trying to help with what I know! I can be wrong; it's just…" His voice grew fearful, and he began to stutter. A strange quality for a machine, of all things.

"And how come you're apparently the only one here who doesn't want to kill me? I mean, whoever ended up in Kitty wasn't as reasonable."

"I have…I don't know; perhaps I have stronger resolve." He did not sound confident at all. With each word Sugar said, Mike felt that this affair was getting all the more dangerous. How can he know he may trust this soul? What if it is just as hostile as others but perhaps better at hiding its true motives? Those thoughts plagued Mike's head at the moment he finally reached Ballora's gallery. He had more pressing problems than thinking about Sugar now.

Even from here, Mike heard a quiet lullaby that echoed from inside the room. A soothing sound echoing that of an expertly-made music box, the type of tune that could put many children to sleep. In this context, however, it sounded eerie, as if a monster tried to lure its prey inside with a sweet song…With Ballora, this must have been exactly that.

"Be quiet." Sugar's ephemeral voice once again sounded in Mike's head. "Her music gives her away; maybe she won't notice you if you just stay careful."

"Yeah, because that worked so well last time…"

"It's still worth a try! You want to get out of here alive, don't you?" Sugar's tone switched once again, this time to annoyance. Mike sighed and decided not to continue this argument any further.

"Fine, I'll…I'll try."

He entered the room. As Mike expected, it was horrifically dark, but it was clearer than in Kitty's auditorium, much to the teen's relief. Mike quickly noticed the panel similar to the one he used before; there was also a red controlled shock button that got attached to the track, speaking of which…Mike saw Ballora. She was swirling and dancing at the opposite side of the room, her tune echoing in the teen's ears. The track on the ground reminded Mike of the one she had in the pizzeria; it allowed the dancing animatronic to go all around the place and never stop moving, often bringing children closer to other attractions.

She had a similar one here, and the moment the sound of Mike's steps echoed across the complex, Ballora changed her direction and began to move towards the opposite side. Sugar was right once again…But Mike wasn't going to get scared just yet. He could stay by the panel and away from the track at a spot that she couldn't reach. Of course, that left the question of how he was going to transport Ballora to the conveyor, but Sugar could help with that. Mike opened the panel and issued a command to open the metal gate. For a moment, he naively assumed that this would be easier than dealing with Kitty, but this assumption was soon shattered like fragile glass.

Ballora stopped. She turned around once again, looking right at the teenager before her.

"Oh, how I missed you, my dear…" She spoke in a soothing voice, yet it caused Mike to clench his fist and feel his spine shaking violently. But worse yet, her tone, it was so calm and sweet, so alluring, it reminded Mike of…His mother. "Welcome home, Mike!" Those words forced the teenager to freeze in terror and look at the animatronic before him. She knew his name.

"H…How…" What came before was chilling, but for the first time during this night, Mike felt utterly horrified to his very core. His hands shook, and even more, sweat dropped from his skin.

In the next instant, Ballora opened her eyes and did the unthinkable. She jumped forth, separating from the track. Mike dropped his flashlight and fell to the floor in shock with his mouth wide open. She shouldn't be able to do this; it made no sense…

Ballora leaped forth like a frenzied beast, immediately forcing the powerless teen to the ground.

"You'll stay here…Forever!" Her voice became vile and sadistic. She raised her hand and hit Mike in the face. The agony inflicted by a metal part caused Mike to scream as blood came down from his nose.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" The teenager screamed, and in a truly miraculous moment, Ballora retreated. She jumped back, standing close to the track. She stood on all fours and haunted Mike with her gaze, completely erasing any resemblance of a human being.

Despite his fear, Mike knew what to do. He rushed back to the panel and pressed the controlled shock button, immediately causing the track to gleam with piercing lightning. Ballora was caught among it and let out a pained scream; Mike could see her body shaking from pain as if she was a living being. It was disturbing, but what followed was even worse.

Ballora's face opened, and the white metal plates moved aside and showed what his beneath them. A monstrosity made out of wires and cables with sharp teeth and small, purple eyes, still letting out the animalistic scream. Was this what children saw moments before death? He expected Ballora to follow him, but she chose another way. The monstrous woman rushed to the nearest wall and began to crawl. Her versatile hands allowed her to grab the small openings left in there until she was hanging down from the ceiling and staring at Mike.

It was like staring into the eyes of a demonic reflection of his own mother, and to know that father created it…"

"Please…" Mike said as a small tear fell down his eyes. He didn't know why he said it; perhaps for a moment, he was willing to pretend that this mechanical beast really was his mother. It made him waver, but he didn't step aside.

The gate behind him was already open.

When Ballora jumped, Mike ran away towards the panel. He squealed in pain as he felt her sharp fingers scratching his back, leaving bloodied marks on him, but it was nothing compared to the mistake Ballora had made. When Mike reached the panel, she was already on the conveyor belt. It took her some time to realize that she was trapped. The animatronic screeched and attempted to run back, but the door was quicker. The gate closed, making the darkness consume her eyes.

All Mike could think of was how lucky Clara was not to see this.

…

With Ballora gone, there was only Circus Baby left…And Mike was eager to finish off his last pursuer, at least to his own knowledge. Chris watched his performance both with Kitty and Ballora and even though he forced Mike to go into a state of pure terror, he wasn't able to break his resolve.

Mike resisted both animatronics and found a way to lure them in. Of course, Chris never intended them to fight for too long, just to give Mike a little scare before he deals with them and sends them to the place Chris needed them in. He thought of their special abilities as he went along, like Kitty's ability to only see moving things…It took some effort to play the role, but luckily for Chris, his brother remained engaged for now.

It wouldn't last forever, though. He already displayed some suspicion on his part; it was clear from the teenager's tone that he didn't trust 'Sugar' and simply went along with his guidance because he saw no other opportunity to stay even remotely safe. He knew how Chris felt when he had to beg for comfort and sympathy and had to see Mike push back against it. Finally, the roles got reversed for once.

He liked seeing Mike scared…Liked seeing him shout and scream. He liked hearing his stuttering voice that couldn't let go of his paranoid fear. Chris only had one animatronic left to play with Mike, but this swift moment of revenge simply wasn't enough to make his brother repay for all the humiliation and pain he made Chris go through. And to think that he still maintained the shreds of his bravery when walking through those dark trials…It sickened Chris, making him despise Mike even more.

He imagined his older brother suffering, the thought of the animatronics plunging their claws into his skin, staring into his tearful, scared eyes…He wanted Mike to feel pain, and not just psychological. Chris felt pain when Fredbear crushed his head; how was this any different? Hearing Chris call him by name, echoing the voice of their dead mother, was one thing, but piercing him with a metal claw got more alluring the more Chris considered it…Surely he deserved it after all he did.

Chris still doubted his actions, the images of Mike suffering would get replaced by those of his mother begging for him to be kind and forgiving. He thought of Elizabeth begging to give Mike another chance, as Chris knew she would…Of course, she would. She is too forgiving, too…Weak. And she wasn't the one who had to suffer at Mike's hand. She helped, but she didn't know how it truly felt. Chris was unfortunate enough to know.

An idea emerged in his mind, a continuation of his unification plan. He thought ahead, wondering what would happen after he left in a single body that would house all fragments of his soul. It will be both a moment of freedom and a moment of justice…He felt like this was the only opportunity; a raging fire in Chris's heart made him yearn for it.

Mike will die today.

…

Two down, one more to go…Mike felt his back ache every time he walked, but he was happy that he at least got this far without dying or getting severely injured. Maybe Sugar's plan will work after all…

"You're doing great!" Sugar's reassuring voice echoed in Mike's head. "Just deal with Circus Baby and then come back to me; when you send me to the scooping room, I can calm them down."

"Any…Advice on her?"

"She is very playful."

"Playful?"

"Well, not in a good way. I think she might attack you on sight, but…I know how to slow her down! She is shy when it comes to bright lights. Try to shine your flashlight at her, and she'll retreat!"

"Wasn't she supposed to perform under bright lights?" Mike said with suspicion. "Why would she be wary of them?"

"Well…Maybe she's just more accustomed to the dark in here?"

"This makes no sense." Mike sighed with disappointment, but by this point, he realized that arguing with Sugar was a waste of time following his advice was worth it. For now, Mike had to focus on Circus Baby, the animatronic father made in the image of his sister, right after trapping the one that was made for his mother…It felt like a twisted family reunion when Mike entered the last of the remaining auditoriums.

He didn't see the animatronic straight away and instead moved straight to the panel, trying to find the perfect balance between moving quickly and not making a sound. He soon reached it and began to work with a familiar directory.

"Come on, come on…" Mike whispered to himself. He was so close to getting it done and finally feeling safe. After this bunker gets cleared, he can try to restore power and continue his research; the teenager didn't forget the original purpose of his visit, and he is more than eager to continue with it. However, this gate was different…A crimson message of malfunction popped up, and the gate began its opening, but it was too slow…And too noisy. Mike could feel himself reflexively clenching his teeth in anger. "Fuck…"

The metallic sound was enough to give away his location.

"So I hear something? Is this a new guest? I feel so lonely here…Come out and play. It will be fu-u-u-un…" A tall silhouette emerged from the shadows, a pale animatronic with pigtails and large hands, her chest colored in dark red. She was the tallest of the animatronics Mike met today, but his previous encounters did enough to brave him for yet another one. "Ah, here you are…" Her emerald eyes gleamed in the shadows and stalked Mike. "I will make this night the best in your life, I promise!"

With those words, the machine charged at Mike as all others did. He remembered Sugar's advice and immediately activated his flashlight. Its rays hit Baby, and as Mike hoped, she stopped for a moment. Her voice dynamics let out a pained noise which reminded Mike of a malfunction. He couldn't yet force himself to put the light away from her.

"You're my fri-i-i-iend…" Baby resisted the light and continued to speak, slowly restoring the tempo of her speech. She took a step…Then took another; the flashlight wasn't enough to stop her.

"Wow, wow, stop!" Mike shouted at her but to no avail. The animatronic sped up and soon overshadowed Michael. Without hesitation, Baby unveiled her face by moving her plates away. It was as grotesque as Ballora's. But even this wasn't the worst of it. She opened her stomach hatch, and a giant metal claw emerged from it.

At this moment, Mike thought about a scared boy telling him about the horrendous mechanism he saw kill his friend. A story that Mike laughed at and didn't believe for a single moment…He forced the boy to suffer in silence and made his life miserable, and now he knew the truth. Knew that all the stories were true, and he spent this time denying the obvious and adding to his brother's nightmare. It was too late to apologize. He would never remove the mark of shame.

Mike managed to evade the claw, but another problem arose almost immediately. Her claw hit the panel, completely crushing it. The teenager felt his heart sinking as the sparkles of a broken system danced in his eyes. The doors stopped, too. They were only half-open.

"For fuck's sake!" Mike shouted in anger; he realized that he would have to adapt and, as a result, make this endeavor even riskier.

"Why are you running away? Don't you like me?"

Think, think, think…

The conveyor still worked; if Mike somehow managed to get Circus Baby through those gates, he would still trick her, and there was no time for careful consideration.

"Wanna play? Then come and catch me!" Mike shouted and jumped through the half-opened gate. He landed right on the conveyor, which pulled him away from the room…Strangely enough, he didn't feel that it was a force to be reckoned with or something that was hard to resist. The pull was weak and slow, Mike could easily jump off back into the room, and it wouldn't be complicated.

"Don't try to hide, my dear. I'll find you anywhere!" Baby charged to the gates and grabbed them with her giant hands, trying to pull them aside. Mike watched as the monster, with an attitude of a playful girl, tried to push through his last line of defense, running right into his trap. When she broke in, Mike was ready.

The moment Baby set foot on the conveyor belt, Mike charged towards the gate.

"No, what are you doing? Don't run away from me!" She attempted to reach out, but Mike activated his flashlight once again. The ray caused Circus Baby to recoil and freeze for a few seconds like before, and this was just enough to allow the conveyor belt to take hold of her. Before she was able to walk again, she already dissipated in the darkness.

"Jesus…" Mike let out a sigh of relief, knowing that his 'friend' was about to answer.

"Oh my god, that was brutal! Are you alright?" Sugar's fearful voice returned.

"Sorta…I hope it doesn't get any closer!"

"Well, this was the last of them; we're both safe now!"

"Why is it so easy? They're all so strong and fast, but once they get to the belt, they just…I don't know. Feels like they surrender."

"Hm…Strange, isn't it?" Sugar said with supposed curiosity, but Mike wasn't convinced. Something wasn't right…He should've felt safe by this point, but he was just unable to shake off the feeling of worry. "I'll learn more when I will be able to talk to them! Come back; I need you to help me get to the scooping room…It will be alright afterward; I'm sure I'll figure something out!"

"Yeah, yeah, fine…"

There was only one way to go.