A/N: Fortunately, THIS part was something I had planned for a while, so I don't have to deal with any Writer's Block this time around. So let's get started!
RicAlbuquerque: Yeah, I'm more or less with you when it comes to your thoughts on immortality and how plenty of people in fictional universes seek immortality just for the sake of it. And you're right in that I don't think I'll be using Vanny as a theoretical "Vengeful Guy," either.
RedisSus: "Rouse?" I'm not really sure what you mean by that. And I haven't seen Stranger Things, so that example didn't really help to make things any clearer, sorry.
TobiasRieper: A conspiracy theory would be a more realistic approach, agreed. I'm not sure how I'm going to implement that, but it will probably be during the future Special Delivery or Security Breach arcs.
HealthInspector: Lord Voldemort is one of the most iconic fictional villains who wanted to pursue immortality, but he had no loved ones either. He just had an obsessive fear of death that (along with his horrible ambitions) led him to commit atrocities in the name of living forever through the Horcruxes. Granted, his mother DID die at a young age, but he barely knew her, had no affection for her, and was utterly incapable of feeling love in general. The ONLY character who I could POSSIBLY see William having any sort of affection for is his wife, but even then the TV show from Sister Location implies their relationship was toxic at its core.
Veteran Ranger: Or strike efficiently to kill Glitchtrap. Not with the intent to torture and cause prolonged suffering, but simply get the job done without taking any pleasure from it. Just a quick, clean, and efficient kill, like how any soldier would kill an enemy in a war. Glitchtrap is still an enemy that needs to be destroyed, after all.
Guest: I'm…honestly not convinced that the Golden Freddy ghost is necessarily the one running UCN. Sure, you have that scene in the end that's the strongest piece of evidence for it, but why is the Vengeful Spirit otherwise talking through the Mediocre Melodies of all animatronics, all of whom have NOTHING to do with Golden Freddy whatsoever? Not to mention the fact that Golden Freddy himself has no dialogue whatsoever, and Fredbear (who you'd expect to be a prominent enemy if the Golden Freddy ghost was running UCN) only appears as an Easter Egg if you go out of your way to get yourself killed by him. I dunno, I'm still kinda skeptical about Cassidy (or BV if you're a PurgaMike supporter) running UCN, since some details just don't make sense.
Guest: Thanks!
Tl34lt12: Yeah, I know about the Fazbear Frights story where Susie was one of the main characters. That tale probably won't be canon to MNGF, though I'm still up in the air about whether or not to possibly introduce an adult Samantha later (I'm a bit iffy about introducing yet more characters when we're already 130 chapters into the fic).
DATA EXPUNGED: This story uses Christian themes, and one of the primary messages from Christianity regarding redemption is that you CAN be forgiven for your sins by God, no matter how grave those sins are, as long as you are genuinely remorseful of your crimes and change your life towards redemption and a brighter path (I deliberately leave out the "believe in Jesus" part since the kids have seen Heaven and God already, so that point's moot and special circumstances need to be applied here, an explanation that I've presented in great detail in previous chapters). It doesn't really matter what humanity thinks is forgivable or not, which to be honest is something of a relief to me, since the MANY sins that humanity has committed over the course of its existence has proven that it doesn't deserve to be such an arbiter.
As to the story you present…I don't really know the full circumstances and facts so I honestly don't have the full right to provide my own input, but I'd put most of the blame on whoever organized the "simulation" and deceived the children regarding its true nature. They arguably deserve less blame than the ghost kids in this story since the ghost children DID intend to murder people (even if they thought they were William or were trying to protect other children from being murdered like themselves), while it sounds like the children in this show had no idea they were slaughtering actual, innocent humans.
Carsonclaudelindsey: Well, I'm glad that you're enjoying this story now that you've gotten into it!
Jack0Lanterns: Yeah, best to leave the hatred and torture to the expert who does it for a living. And the voice is whatever you want it to be 😉
BarcodeMan47: I don't really consider it a spoiler since it's addressing what I WON'T do, rather than what I will do for the story. And I mainly did it because otherwise people would keep asking in the comments repeatedly, and I wanted to tackle the issue now instead of letting it fester and ultimately annoy everyone, including myself.
FrostTheFrozenFox: I mean…the Rockstar animatronics could help the children move around, but you'd need a pickup truck to move them. And it doesn't change the core problem that the ghost kids need to keep their existences a secret, and a bunch of animatronics with "really advanced AI that mysteriously has personalities FAR more advanced than anything other Fazbear animatronics has" is gonna really set off alarm bells in its own right. I could see a possible use for them in one sense, but that's an idea that hasn't been fleshed out yet. Also yeah, finding the families and having the time to arrange meetings would also be a pain in the ass.
SuperDescendant101: I…really don't have the time for that kind of project, as cool as it might be. Sorry.
Sweeting: Absolutely. That's the stance that they're taking from now on.
Sonic245: I think I'll judge for myself who a true FNaF fan is, thank you very much. Joy of Creation Story Mode has nothing to do with the canon/main FNaF universe, so it has nothing to do with whether you're a FNaF fan or not as far as I'm concerned.
MegaMaster78: Thanks!
Properman: Yeah, there's a lot of reasons why supernatural elements and the nature of the afterlife shouldn't be common knowledge. Knowledge like that can and will be abused.
Guest: I agree with what you've said regarding the ghost kids and Mike. And unfortunately, as much as I also agree with what you've said regarding video games, I probably won't be doing very many video game chapters (or filler chapters in general) in the future due to time constraints.
MothraRanger: Well, Mike never committed any grave sins against innocents like the ghost kids did, so really he just needs to keep himself grounded to make sure he doesn't lose control like he did against Nightmare Springtrap and Glitchtrap. And speaking of the glitched-up bunny, that's why Nightmare is here.
Fnaffan418: Not necessarily. Remember, only FNaF 1-3 exist in this timeline. The only exposure this particular world's public will have to Circus Baby is that bedroom minigame, and that by itself gives away practically nothing about Liz's existence. Not every animatronic is haunted, after all.
Chapter 130 – Plan of Action
"I assume you already know just how bad it'll get if all those VR games with copies of Glitchtrap get released to the public?" was the first question Mike asked. They had all moved to the basement, the last place where they'd played the VR game, and Mike had proceeded to give Nightmare a more detailed description of the events surrounding Fazbear Entertainment's latest attempt to revive itself and the sinister secret lurking within it. The ghost kids had retreated to the background and listened silently, knowing that this was a situation where the adults were talking and didn't need any distractions.
"BUT OF COURSE," Nightmare agreed. "MY SUPERIORS HAVE MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT SUCH A SITUATION CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO COME TO PASS. THEY ARE CONCERNED ENOUGH THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO BYPASS THE RULES THAT NORMALLY GOVERN THE SEPARATION BETWEEN THE MUNDANE AND SUPERNATURAL WORLDS TO PREVENT THIS."
"Superiors?" Mike raised an eyebrow. "You mean…not the Devil?"
The grin disappeared from Nightmare's face, turning into an expression that gave absolutely nothing away. "THERE ARE BEINGS FAR GREATER THAN MYSELF WHO I MUST ANSWER TO, WILLINGLY OR OTHERWISE. TO REFUSE THEM WOULD BE MOST…UNWISE," he finished ominously.
Mike had a feeling that he had met at least one of those "far greater beings" before. And he also had the feeling that if Nightmare had attempted to refuse those entities' commands, he wouldn't survive the consequences. "We need your help, Nightmare," Mike decided to cut straight to the point. "There has to be thousands of copies of the VR game, all of which have a copy of Glitchtrap in them somewhere, just waiting to possess any poor shmuck that finds the Tapes or stumbles into that room in the Pizza Party."
Nightmare tilted his head curiously. "PIZZA PARTY?" he asked.
"The final level of the game," Mike explained. "One that's only opened when you complete all the levels."
The demon lord waved the explanation off. "I DON'T PARTICULARLY CARE ABOUT THAT," he dismissed. "THE DETAILS SHOULDN'T MATTER."
Mike wasn't sure whether to be insulted by the way Nightmare brushed him off, or encouraged by the fact that he didn't seem particularly concerned about Glitchtrap. He was acting his usual prideful and nonchalant self, giving him the impression that Nightmare saw Glitchtrap as a problem that he could very much deal with. Something that Mike was relieved to see.
"HOW MUCH TIME DO WE HAVE UNTIL THE GAME IS RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC?" Nightmare asked.
A smirk appeared on Mike's lips. "I was able to…persuade…Fazbear Entertainment to delay the release of the game before the end of October," he replied smoothly, before the smirk faded. "But given that Fazbear Entertainment is run by a bunch of corrupt and greedy morons, I don't know if they'll actually hold up their end of the bargain," he admitted.
Nightmare grinned. "PLENTY OF TIME," he assured him. There was one more question that he needed to ask. "DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE OTHER COPIES OF THE GAME ARE LOCATED?"
Mike didn't immediately answer as he tried to sort through his brain to find the answer. "They never…explicitly told me," he finally spoke after several seconds of quiet thought. "But I think I know. They took me over to some kind of warehouse and gave me a copy of the game from in there. I think that all the copies of the game are currently stored in that warehouse, since they've already been made but haven't been sold yet." He shrugged. "That's my best guess, at least."
Nightmare scratched his chin with his claw thoughtfully. "INTERESTING…" he mused.
"Is this going to affect our plan?" Mike asked.
Nightmare shook his head. "NOT IN TERMS OF ACTUALLY DESTROYING GLITCHTRAP," he replied. "HOWEVER, THESE DETAILS MAY BE IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO QUALIFY AS…SECONDARY CONCERNS."
"All these secondary concerns are good to talk about and all that, but you haven't even mentioned what the plan actually is," Mike pointed out.
"THAT'S BECAUSE EVEN I DON'T KNOW MYSELF," Nightmare freely admitted. He couldn't help but smirk at the eight gazes of blank shock and disbelief directed at him, feeling amused despite the fact that admitting his own failings would normally cause him no small amount of irritation. "THE HIGHER BEING I AM COLLABORATING WITH DID NOT SPECIFY THE DETAILS OF HIS PLAN." He looked straight into Mike's eyes. "YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED HIM ONCE ALREADY."
"I have?" Mike asked, before his eyes widened in realization. "OH."
"Wait, what?" Charlie interrupted, breaking the silence. "Who did you meet, Dad?"
Mike brushed the question off. "Not important right now, I'll tell you later after we're done here."
"LORD CONSEQUENCES DID NOT DIVULGE TO ME THE FULL DETAILS REGARDING HIS PLAN," Nightmare continued as though Charlie hadn't spoken. "HE ONLY SPECIFIED THAT A CRUCIAL KEY TO ITS SUCCESS IS A COPY OF GLITCHTRAP. THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I HAVE COME HERE PERSONALLY."
"We have one!" this time, it was Gabe who injected himself into the conversation. The former Freddy inhabitant reached out and picked up the VR game. "There's a copy of Glitchtrap in this game that got beaten up by Dad."
"OH?" Nightmare looked at the game quizzically. "BUT WAS THE COPY OF GLITCHTRAP IN THAT GAME NOT DESTROYED BY THE FORCE OF SCHMIDT'S RAGE, EMPOWERED BY THE DARK BLESSING I BESTOWED UPON HIM?"
"It…almost was," Charlie admitted. "Dad really beat the everloving crap out of him. But…I stopped him just before he could finish Glitchtrap off."
Nightmare's eyes narrowed. "SO…" he replied, his voice dangerously soft, "…YOU PERSUADED SCHMIDT TO SHOW MERCY TO GLITCHTRAP, AN INCARNATION OF OUR MOST HATED ENEMY?"
Charlie didn't flinch. "Is that a problem for you?" she challenged.
There was a tense silence as nobody spoke for several seconds. The ghost kids looking fearfully between her and Nightmare, wondering if she had somehow insulted the demon lord and cost them his help (or worse, he was about to attack her).
Then, the demon lord suddenly started laughing. "HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH…HEH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" What shocked the family the most was that the laughter wasn't the malicious, cruel laughter they had come to associate with Nightmare. It was genuine, delighted mirth, something that almost disturbed them just as much. "I CAN SCARCELY BELIEVE I AM SAYING THIS, BUT WELL DONE, PUPPET GIRL! YOU HAVE DONE WELL BY DIRECTING YOUR FATHER ON THE PATH OF MERCY."
Mike scowled. "Are you being serious or are you insulting my daughter for doing the right thing?" he demanded.
"OH NO, NOT AT ALL," Nightmare chuckled. "BY STOPPING YOU AND SPARING GLITCHTRAP FROM DESTRUCTION, YOUR LITTLE PUPPET GIRL HAS ENSURED THE CONTINUED EXISTENCE OF THE CRUCIAL COMPONENT FOR MY MASTER'S PLAN. IF YOU HAD DESTROYED GLITCHTRAP TO THE POINT THAT ONLY CHARRED REMNANTS OF HIS EXISTENCE REMAINED, I AM NOT CERTAIN THAT OUR PLANNED COURSE OF ACTION WOULD HAVE REMAINED FEASIBLE. AT BEST, IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN ME TIME TO COALESCE THE REMAINING SCRAPS OF HIS EXISTENCE INTO SOMETHING USABLE. AT WORST, YOU WOULD HAVE NEEDED TO SECURE ANOTHER COPY OF THE GAME."
The familiar fanged grin returned. "BUT NOW, NONE OF THOSE STEPS WILL BE NECESSARY. A COPY OF GLITCHTRAP THAT IS WEAKENED AND WOUNDED, BUT NOT BROKEN, WILL BE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO SUIT MY DESIGNS." The demon lord laughed mockingly. "IT APPEARS THAT THE POWER OF MERCY AND RIGHTEOUSNESS HAS PROVEN ITSELF SUPERIOR AFTER ALL!"
Now they could hear the mockery in his tone, for this last sentence if nothing else.
"Here's the copy of the game," Susie picked up the game and handed over to the Nightmare, but Jeremy stopped her.
"Hold on," he warned. "Won't Dad get into trouble if whatever Nightmare does to the game with Glitchtrap in it ends up destroying the whole game?"
"IF THE STRATEGY MY MASTER HAS DEVISED WILL DESTROY THE GAME, THEN I WILL CREATE A FASCIMILE TO FOOL THOSE IMBECILES IN FAZBEAR ENTERTAINMENT BEFORE I CARRY OUT THAT PLAN," Nightmare offered. The family looked at each other, shrugged, and then Mike gestured to Susie to give the game to Nightmare.
"You're not gonna actually DO anything unless you give us all the information first, right?" Mike asked with a raised eyebrow. "I know that we need to do anything and everything we can to get rid of this fucking glitch bunny, but I'm still technically an employee of Fazbear Entertainment right now. They'll definitely try to fry my ass if the game gets destroyed without me knowing about it, and that's a pile of bullshit I'd rather not deal with."
Nightmare nodded. "I WILL GIVE YOU THE FULL DETAILS OF THE PLAN BEFORE I PROCEED," he assured them. "PARTIALLY BECAUSE YOU'RE THE FIRST MORTAL I ACTUALLY RESPECT IN GOD KNOWS HOW LONG, AND PARTIALLY BECAUSE NEGLECTING TO DO SO COULD BE INTERPRETED AS…INSUBORDINATION…BY MY SUPERIORS." He scowled. "IT WOULD BE A MASSIVE FUCKING EMBARRASSMENT BEYOND WORDS IF I WAS PUNISHED FOR SOMETHING SO UTTERLY SIMPLE AND IDIOTIC."
"…fair enough, I guess," Mike conceded. He didn't know anything about supernatural politics, nor did he particularly care, but if it meant Nightmare was fully cooperating with them, he had no problem with whatever was going on behind the scenes.
Nightmare held the video game in his hand and looked at it curiously. "YES…I CAN MOST CERTAINLY SMELL AFTON'S FOUL STENCH IN THIS GAME, ALTERED THOUGH IT MAY BE. THIS…GLITCHTRAP…THING IS BARELY CLINGING TO LIFE AS IT IS. THOUGH I MUST CONFESS, I FIND THE NOTION THAT THIS COPY OF AFTON HAD TO TURN INTO A STUFFED CHILD'S JOY JUST TO PREVENT HIMSELF FROM FALLING APART TO OBLIVION AMUSING TO NO END," he finished with a chuckle.
"How long would it take for Glitchtrap to recover?" Liz wondered, her curiosity overriding her wariness of Nightmare.
The demon lord shrugged. "WHO CAN SAY? BUT GIVEN THE DAMAGE THAT YOUR FATHER INFLICTED ON HIM, HE WOULD PRESUMABLY HAVE TO REMAIN IN THAT STATE FOR MONTHS TO RECOLLECT HIS STRENGTH." A sinister grin spread across his face. "NOT THAT WE WILL EVER GIVE HIM THE CHANCE, OF COURSE."
"We're counting on you, Nightmare, as weird as that is to say," Mike answered calmly. "Get it done."
"IN THIS, IF NOTHING ELSE, WE ARE SWORN ALLIES. I AM NOT ONE TO ALLOW WILLIAM AFTON'S PLANS TO GO UNRUINED." The demon lord stood up, his face and tone turning businesslike. "SINCE I HAVE WHAT I CAME FOR, I MUST REPORT THIS TO MY MASTER. DO NOT GET TOO COMFORTABLE IN MY ABSENCE. WE WILL BE RECONVENING SHORTLY."
And with that, the demon lord vanished in a blast of flame. To everyone's surprise, Mike's only response was to let out a groan of annoyance.
"What, Dad?" Cassidy asked in concern.
"I hope he doesn't burn down my house doing that shit one day…" he muttered.
Meanwhile, at the Crimson Lake…
"I HAVE RETURNED, MY LORD," Nightmare declared as he bent on one knee to the entity who seemed so much like a harmless, welcoming fisherman.
"WERE YOU ABLE TO SECURE WHAT I REQUIRE?" Old Man Consequences inquired. In response, Nightmare smiled coldly and lifted his hand, showing the VR game to him. "EXCELLENT. THIS WILL MAKE THE STRATEGY I HAVE IN MIND MUCH EASIER AND FASTER TO CARRY OUT."
"WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, MY LORD, YOU HAVE NOT YET ACTUALLY REVEALED THE NATURE OF THAT STRATEGY TO ME," Nightmare pointed out, making sure to keep his voice respectful. "IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO CARRY OUT A TASK IF I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT TASK IS."
The crocodile-headed entity chuckled good-humoredly. "THAT IS VERY TRUE," he acknowledged. "I BELIEVE THE BEST WAY TO EXPLAIN MY PLAN IS TO USE AN ANALOGY." He held out his hand, and a ball of light suddenly appeared in it. The light flashed for a few seconds before vanishing, revealing…
"…IS THAT A YU-GI-OH CARD?" Nightmare asked blankly.
Old Man Consequences chuckled again. "INDEED IT IS, NIGHTMARE."
Nightmares shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. It was very, very rare for him to be taken completely by surprise, yet the entity guarding the Crimson Lake had done exactly that. "FORGIVE ME, LORD CONSEQUENCES, BUT WHAT THE FUCK DOES A YU-GI-OH CARD HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?"
"THE CARD GAME ITSELF? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING," Old Man Consequences conceded. "HOWEVER, THE EFFECT OF THIS PARTICULAR CARD WILL BE AN EXCELLENT ANALOGY FOR WHAT I HAVE PLANNED TO DEAL WITH GLITCHTRAP."
Nightmare didn't have anything to say to that, so instead he wordlessly picked up the card from OMC's palm and read it. The card itself was colored magenta, indicating that it was a Trap Card It presented an image of a golden chain winding in a snakelike manner skewering three other cards, all of which were also trap cards with screaming skulls on their faces.
"CHAIN DESTRUCTION," Nightmare read. "WHEN A MONSTER WITH 2000 OR LESS ATTACK IS SUMMONED: TARGET 1 OF THEM; DESTROY ALL CARDS WITH THAT NAME IN ITS CONTROLLER'S HAND AND MAIN DECK. HOW DOES THIS…" something clicked into place, and his eyes widened as the realization creeped into his mind. "WAIT…"
OMC picked up the copy of the game Nightmare had brought with him, vanishing the summoned Yu-Gi-Oh card as he did so. "THERE IS A RITUAL, A DARK RITUAL NORMALLY FORBIDDEN, THAT WILL ALLOW US TO EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENT THIS CARD'S EFFECT UPON ALL THE COPIES OF GLITCHTRAP SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THEIR RESPECTIVE HOMES. IMAGINE THAT THIS SPECIFIC COPY OF THE GAME, AND THE GLITCHTRAP WITHIN, IS THE MONSTER SUMMONED TO THE FIELD," he explained. "AND THAT ALL THE OTHER COPIES OF THE GAME TO EVER EXIST ARE THE HAND AND DECK IN THIS ANALOGY."
Nightmare grinned. "AND THROUGH THIS RITUAL, WE WILL DESTROY EVERY SINGLE COPY OF GLITCHTRAP AT THE SAME TIME." The demon lord roared with laughter. "PERFECTION. ABSOLUTE PERFECTION, MY LORD!"
OMC shook his head. "IN THEORY, THAT IS THE IDEAL OUTCOME," he agreed. He then added warningly, "HOWEVER, THIS RITUAL DOES HAVE SOME RATHER NOTABLE WEAKNESSES. BECAUSE IT RELIES ON THE VR GAME AS A FOCUS THROUGH WHICH TO CHANNEL ITS POWER, THE RITUAL WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO AFFECT GLITCHTRAPS THAT ARE WITHIN COPIES OF THE VR GAME."
Nightmare immediately caught what OMC hadn't said. "SO IF THERE ARE ANY COPIES OF GLITCHTRAP THAT HAVE ALREADY ESCAPED, THEN THOSE COPIES WILL REMAIN UNHARMED."
OMC nodded in agreement. "I SHOULD ALSO MENTION THAT THE SPECIFIC COPY OF THE GAME AND THE COPY OF GLITCHTRAP THAT YOU WILL BE USING FOR THE RITUAL WILL ALSO BE UNHARMED. ALTHOUGH," he added dryly, "I SUSPECT THAT FOR YOU, AT LEAST, THIS WILL NOT QUALIFY AS A DOWNSIDE."
Nightmare laughed menacingly. "YOU KNOW ME SO WELL, MY LORD. I HAVE…PLANS…FOR THE COPY OF GLITCHTRAP THAT EXISTS IN THIS PARTICULAR GAME," he leered at the game like a predator looking for its prey. The pathetic mongrel trapped within had no idea that he would soon be the instrument of his own kind's destruction.
OMC chuckled a bit, before the mirth faded. "THERE IS ONE MORE DISADVANTAGE THAT YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF," he warned. "BECAUSE THIS RITUAL CHANNELS DESTRUCTIVE ENERGIES, THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR…SIGNIFICANT COLLATERAL DAMAGE…IN THE AREA IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDING ITS TARGETS. AND THE MORE CONCENTRATED THOSE ENERGIES ARE…"
"…THE GREATER THE COLLATERAL DAMAGE," Nightmare finished with a scowl that displayed his impatience. "I'LL HAVE TO INFORM SCHMIDT ABOUT THIS DEVELOPMENT."
"THAT WOULD BE WISE," OMC agreed. "BUT BEFORE YOU DO THAT, I MUST TEACH YOU THE RITUAL THAT I AM SPEAKING OF." The crocodile-headed entity smiled, but this time the expression was cold and terrifying. "THIS ABOMINABLE MANIFESTATION OF WILLIAM AFTON WILL SOON LEARN THAT THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES FOR VIOLATING THE LAWS OF THE AFTERLIFE."
Nightmare returned the smile with a sickening grin of his own. "AND HIS LAST REMAINING LEGACY WILL BE THE PRICE FOR THIS LESSON."
A Few Hours Later…
"What the hell is taking Nightmare so long?" Fritz grumbled as he fiddled around on his laptop. Although the family had started off waiting patiently for him to return, once it became clear that the demon lord wouldn't be coming back for a while, they started doing their own things on their electronic devices.
"I don't know," Gabe admitted. "Hopefully he found a solution, or is going to find one soon."
"Yeah," Jeremy agreed. "He can take as long as he wants, as long as we actually get somewhere. If not even Nightmare can find a way to deal with all those Glitchtraps, we're gonna need a lightning bolt from God or something to blow up all the VR game copies or else we're all screwed."
"I don't even want to think about what would've happened if we hadn't played through the game and realized what was going on," Susie mumbled, trying not to envision a world in which thousands of souls were possessed by Glitchtrap and slowly possessed or driven mad. The ghosts all shuddered as similar thoughts crept into their minds, only to be quickly and forcefully pushed away.
It was Cassidy who first sensed the change in atmosphere. "Hey, guys!" she shouted. "I think Nightmare's coming back!"
The family immediately abandoned their things as Nightmare re-emerged in a pillar of flame, causing Mike's mouth to twitch in annoyance. "So, what happened?" he asked once the demon had fully emerged.
Nightmare grinned in response. "I AM PLEASED TO REPORT THAT MY MASTER DOES INDEED HAVE A SOLUTION," he reported triumphantly. "ONE THAT COULD POTENTIALLY DESTROY EVERY COPY OF GLITCHTRAP AT THE EXACT SAME TIME!"
"Oh, hell yes!" Liz cheered.
"Thank God!" Susie breathed a massive sigh of relief. "I'll sleep a lot easier knowing we can get rid of him."
Gabe didn't immediately share in the rest of the ghost kids' enthusiasm. "Hold on…" he interrupted, getting their attention. "This seems a bit too easy." He looked over at Nightmare. "Are you sure this will get rid of all the Glitchtraps?"
"AN ASTUTE OBSERVATION," the demon lord commended. "I CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT THIS RITUAL WILL DESTROY EVERY COPY OF GLITCHTRAP. IF THERE ARE ANY THAT HAVE ALREADY ESCAPED THE CONFINES OF THE GAME, THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT THAT. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY…" he looked over at Mike, "FROM WHAT MY MASTER HAS INFORMED ME, THIS RITUAL HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE SIGNIFICANT…COLLATERAL DAMAGE SURROUNDING ITS TARGETS."
Mike realized what he was saying and grimaced. "It's gonna set the warehouse where all the games are stored on fire, isn't it?" he muttered.
"A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY."
Mike scowled. "Knowing what I do about the fuckheads running Fazbear Entertainment," he growled. "They're going to try and put the blame on a scapegoat. Especially someone they already don't like. Specifically me." Granted, they would technically be trying to frame someone who was could at the very least be considered an accomplice, but he didn't give a shit about that particular detail.
"IT WOULDN'T BE OUT OF CHARACTER FOR THEM," Nightmare agreed. "WHICH IS WHY I WILL BE GIVING YOU A BRIEF WINDOW OF TIME TO CONSTRUCT YOUR ALIBI. YOU WILL HAVE FIVE DAYS TO DO SO. AT THE END OF THE FIFTH DAY, AT THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT, I WILL CONDUCT THE RITUAL THAT WILL DESTROY GLITCHTRAP." The demon lord's eyes flared menacingly. "THERE WILL BE NO NEGOTIATION ON THESE CONDITIONS. I HAVE ALREADY CHOSEN A LATE TIME SO THAT NO INNOCENTS WILL BE CAUGHT IN THE COLLATERAL DAMAGE, A DETAIL THAT I MOST CERTAINLY DO NOT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT PERSONALLY. DO NOT TEST MY PATIENCE BY ATTEMPTING TO IMPOSE FURTHER DEMANDS ON ME."
"Five days should be plenty, Nightmare," Mike quickly agreed. "And thanks."
The demon lord wordlessly inclined his head, a sign of acknowledgement if not respect, and vanished once again in a burst of flames.
"What the heck did he mean by alibi?" Cassidy asked once he was gone.
"From what I can tell, it sounds like the ritual will do a lot of damage in the area where the video games are stored," Charlie explained. "An explosion, or a fire, or something. And you know Fazbear Entertainment. It's always anybody else's fault except theirs. They'll probably try to pin the blame on Dad if they get the chance." She couldn't resist the urge to giggle. "The funny thing is, for once they wouldn't be completely wrong."
"Yeah," Mike agreed. "And as much as I could buy a really skilled lawyer to tear Fazbear Entertainment's attempt to arrest me to shreds, I really don't want to waste my fucking time dealing with courtroom bullshit. So, just like Nightmare said, I need to make an alibi. Something that makes it so blatantly obvious where I've been over the next couple of days, that there's no way in Hell," he smirked at the last word, causing more than one of the ghosts to groan at the pun, "that Fazbear Entertainment can pin what Nightmare's about to do on me without being laughed out of court and looking like absolute imbeciles."
"I think the best way to do that is to be out of the state, to be honest," Gabe suggested. "And have records showing where you are."
"I don't suppose we can go on another vacation right now?" Jeremy joked.
Mike shook his head. "Probably not a good idea for all of us to just up and leave while we have this to deal with," he shot down the idea. "You guys should probably stay behind this time, just in case Nightmare makes contact again."
"Awww…" the children groaned in disappointment, but they knew Mike was right.
"Don't look at me like that," Mike rolled his eyes. "As much as I love you guys, even I need a break from parenting once in a while. We'll go to another city in the wintertime or something, how about that?"
"Deal!" the ghosts immediately answered.
"Thought so," his lips twitched into a smirk, "And besides, I think I already have the perfect alibi in mind." He picked up his cell phone and dialed a number. More than one ghost felt a sigh of relief when the phone didn't violently shake and summon a portal to Hell this time around. "Hello, Mr. Santor?" he greeted the man on the other side of the line. "Yes, I'm calling about the Eisensteel-sponsored weekend vacation trip that you invited me on a few days ago. I believe I might be able to join you and the rest of my old friends and coworkers after all…"
/
A/N: Well, it's glad to hear some good news for a change, isn't it? It seems like Nightmare and Old Man Consequences do indeed have a plan to deal with Fazbear Entertainment, and a highly effective one at that.
Some of you might be thinking, "Holy shit, a ritual that just HAPPENS to get rid of every single copy of Glitchtrap, after I established just how dangerous of a threat thousands of Glitchtrap copies could be? That sounds overpowered as fuck, and WAY too easy!" First off, you have to consider that the afterlife is directly intervening because the threat of Glitchtrap is just that dangerous. If Glitchtrap is allowed to do whatever he wants unchecked, then that means thousands of innocent people will be possessed by the killer bunny and turn into deranged, murderous maniacs who will start massacring children or doing unholy experiments. This would be an unmitigated catastrophe that could potentially throw society into chaos and is something that cannot be allowed under any circumstances. If that means the afterlife has to use OP bullshit solutions to deal with the problem, then they damn well will use OP bullshit solutions, especially since there's no earthly solution that could be feasibly carried out before the game is released to the public. Secondly, the "dangerous and unholy ritual" is actually my way of reconciling the Mike's New Ghostly Family universe with the canon universe. You'll see what I mean more clearly next chapter. And thirdly…I have already declared that Special Delivery and Security Breach will be part of Mike's New Ghostly Family. The more astute among you should already be realizing the implications…
Next chapter will feature the ritual itself, as well as the results. Plot advancement is the order of the day (as if it hasn't been for the last couple of chapters lol), and things are about to get rather…interesting…
Hope you guys enjoyed!
