A/N: Hey guys! Got a little time before I head off to Korea.
I saw the Ultimate Custom Night was released during my first busy week and OH MY GOD, it inspired me so much that I finished this entire chapter within the course of a day. The implications of the UCN are astounding, and not just because my interpretation of the Nightmares as demons of Hell might ACTUALLY BE LEGIT. And before we begin this plot arc, I do want to talk about the UCN.
There are currently two prevailing theories about the true nature of the UCN. The first is that the UCN is William Afton's personal Hell and he is being tortured by the animatronics he created again and again for all eternity. The second is that Michael Afton is in Purgatory of some kind, and that the One You Should Not Have Killed is the Bite Victim of 1983. I prefer the first version because it's such a fitting fate for the asshole of a Purple Guy, and I have a couple of issues with the second one. For starters, I adamantly REFUSE to believe that Michael Afton is in Hell after he spent his entire life atoning for the accidental death of his brother. But even more than that, the theory makes the Bite Victim into a hypocrite and an asshole who becomes far worse than his brother ever was, destroying his status as one of the few unambiguously innocent characters in FNAF. Being angry at your own death when it happens is perfectly understandable, but if BV wants to torture his brother's afterlife 30 years after it happened when it was an accident and he spent his ENTIRE LIFE atoning for it, then frankly he doesn't deserve to go to Heaven.
Besides, I can't use the "Michael Afton in UCN" theory for MNGF. I do acknowledge its merits, however, and I think supporters of it will find the chapter after this one very much to their liking. But the first one, oh ho ho ho…the first one…
I was originally going to leave the topic of William Afton and his damnation to rest with the conclusion of Nightmare's arc in Chapter 26. But after the UCN's release…
Those plans have now changed.
Not only will the Ultimate Custom Night influence the arc that I'm about to write, an arc that I've had planned for MONTHS, but I've also come up with an idea for an entirely new plot arc further down the road. And this future arc may very well be the darkest arc in the entire fanfic. Darker than Mike's shitty past, darker than Nightmare's attack on the family, darker than some of the stuff in the next few chapters. And it will answer questions like who "the one who you should not have killed" is if we go by the William Afton in Hell interpretation of the UCN. But that's for later. We must focus on the now.
I could talk on and on about the UCN but this is approaching an entire page in Word. So I'll just leave two of my characters to make some quick thoughts about this. I won't say who they are, but I'm sure you'll figure it out 😊
AN IRONIC HELL…HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH…I CAN WORK WITH THIS.
And so can I.
Guest: FNAF is not a game in this universe. So the FNAF cameo in Flee the Complex would probably either not exist or replace it with something different.
Kai and DinoGirl: I haven't seen Jurassic World or Incredibles 2 yet :/ I heard good things about both, though.
Chapter 41 – Visitors from Beyond
"DAD!" Charlie shouted as she rushed at her father's ghost. Henry barely had any time to react as the Mariontette leapt at him and wrapped him in a tight hug, just like she had done back in her dream. Only this time, every single moment of it was real. And even though the Puppet's body should have flown through the ghost like any solid object would, she was able to complete the hug like she would if she had hugged Mike instead. "H…how? Aren't you supposed to be in Heaven, dad? How did you get here?"
Henry chuckled at his daughter's enthusiasm. "It is true that those who have passed on are not allowed to return…under normal circumstances," he explained. "However, God has been kind enough to grant us permission to visit you on Christmas. A favor that I will be forever grateful for."
"Me too, dad," Charlie buried her head in Henry's ethereal chest. "This just made Christmas perfect."
The man looked up at the rest of the ghosts. "I never had the chance to say this to you yet, but I am truly sorry for everything that happened to you because of the nightmare that William Afton created. You have suffered for so long, but I am truly thankful that you have found a happy ending even if you have not passed on to Paradise yet."
Gabe pointed at Mike. "It's all because of him, Mr…"
"Call me Henry, please," the man gently interrupted. He turned his attention to Mike and smiled warmly at him, before walking over to him as Charlie let go. "I cannot tell you how happy I am to meet my daughter's new guardian face to face," he greeted him before offering his hand to Mike. The man shook it firmly, and if Henry was surprised at the fact that Mike could feel a ghost's hand he hid his confusion well. "These kids…they've been forced through more pain and suffering than any person should ever have to experience in an entire lifetime. A place that was meant to be one of joy, safety, and happiness was twisted into a horrific monstrosity because of William Afton's depravity and my own ignorance. Five children, my baby girl, even William Afton's own daughter, all of them were dragged into a decades-long tragedy that should never have happened. Michael Afton, Charlie, and I…we all did our part to finally end the nightmare. But you…you are the one who has healed them from it. You have given them all a second chance at life …and in that chance they have found hope, peace, joy, a path to atonement. Even without the light of Heaven to wash away their sorrows, they have found life again, long after they breathed their last. And for that, I cannot thank you enough. You will always be the greatest of heroes to me."
As the ghosts cheered at Henry's words, Mike shrugged. "All I did was the right thing," he replied. "I don't really have an excuse not to if I know what the right thing is and I'm capable of doing it."
Henry's smile took on a sardonic quality. "You'd be surprised how rare of a quality that can be," he answered. "Especially when it demands responsibility."
"Nothing worth doing is ever easy," Mike chuckled. "I learned that long before the ghost kids ever entered into my life."
"A lesson that has resonated with truth throughout our lives," Henry agreed with a sad chuckle. His gaze suddenly turned to Melody, who up until this point had been trying her best to look inconspicuous. "And who might you be?" he asked curiously.
"Just a friend of Mike," she answered quickly. "And I'm thinking that now might be a good time for me to leave." She didn't know exactly what was going on, but she knew that it was far bigger than it seemed and that she had no place in it.
Judging by the look on Mike's face, she could tell that he thought the same, no matter how much he hated to admit it. "I'm thinking you might be right," he reluctantly agreed. "I'll come with you back to your house."
"Nonsense!" A new voice interrupted. Mike's head snapped up as another ghost appeared at the doorway. One that he was very familiar with, even if the others weren't.
"OSKAR?" Mike spluttered.
The old war hero chuckled. "You didn't think I wouldn't take the time to visit my son in all but blood if Henry would visit his daughter, did you? Anyways, it wouldn't be right to cast your friend out of your house on Christmas when you were so kind to invite her." He raised his hand and gestured towards the basement door. "Come. Let us move downstairs to the basement. We can leave Henry alone with your children for the time being. If I recall correctly, he wished to spend some time to speak with them."
"That sounds like an excellent idea," Mike agreed. He turned to Melody and beckoned her to follow him, and the two engineers followed Oskar down into the basement. As their footsteps faded, Henry turned back to the ghostly children.
"So, how has your Christmas been so far?" he asked as Charlie led him and the others to the living room.
"Amazing!" Cassidy proclaimed. "We got some of the coolest presents ever and did a lot of fun stuff with Mike and Melody!"
"I honestly don't care that we couldn't go out to someplace cool," Susie added. "Dad did the best that he possibly could with what options he had."
"I am very glad to hear that," Henry smiled. As he floated forward, he ended up moving right in front of Liz. The girl instinctively shrank back and let out a whimper, nervousness and shame in her eyes as she remembered that this was the man who had dedicated his final moments to opposing the evil that she and her father had tried to commit.
"I'm sorry…" she breathed out, her voice barely above a whisper.
The man knelt down to look her in the eyes and stroked her hair gently. "It wasn't your fault," he told her soothingly. "You were never to blame for what your father tried to twist you into. That one dark moment has passed, and it will not return."
"If…if you say so…" she murmured. Henry gave her an encouraging smile and got up before sitting down on the couch that Mike usually used.
"I can imagine that you all have some questions for me," he gestured towards the ghost kids, who had sat down on various places in the room. "Anything you ask, I will try my best to answer. That will be my gift to you."
The ghost kids were silent for a moment as they tried to think of questions for the man who had ended the Freddy Fazbear nightmare. Then, Susie asked the first question. "What's Heaven like?" she asked.
A wistful look entered Henry's eyes as his lips stretched into the purest, brightest smile. "It is so many things," he murmured. "A golden kingdom, a vibrant paradise…but there is so much more to it than that. Peace…laughter…joy…warmth…everything that you could ever hope for in an eternal resting place." The ghosts' eyes turned misty as they imagined what Heaven looked like. "One day, it will be yours to enjoy. One day…but not now. There is still much left for you to do before you can take your place in the Kingdom of Light."
"We know," Gabe answered solemnly. "God made it clear that until Mike dies, we stick with him from beginning to end. But…is there anything more than we can do? Nightmare told us that we barely did anything to show that really have changed for the better."
"Just because he's a demon and an asshole doesn't mean he's wrong," Fritz admitted. "Up until now it's been more Dad taking care of us instead of the other way. Even I can see that."
Henry's eyes darkened at the mention of Nightmare, but he tried to hide it with an encouraging smile. "Opportunities will come, children," he promised. "Maybe not now, maybe not for a while. Just look for them, and you will find them."
Charlie's eyelights flickered. "I saw your eyes, dad," she pointed out. "When Gabe mentioned Nightmare…you know something about him, don't you?"
Her father sighed. "Yes…" he admitted. "I do know about him. A demon lord of great power who relishes in preying on the fears and black truths that humans dread, he and his brethren have adopted nightmarish forms of the Freddy Fazbear animatronics because they represent the corruption of innocence and the destruction of purity. He has had his sights on William Afton for a very long time, and longed to claim a soul of such wickedness and depravity for his own," Henry shook his head and gave a humorless chuckle. "I should hate him for being a wicked monster himself, and yet we are united in our desire to see William Afton pay for everything he has done. And I can see the slightest slivers of morality and honor in him, where I can see none in my former friend."
Liz finally found it in herself to speak. "Why…why were we attacked then?" she asked, almost afraid to know the answer.
"You already know part of the answer to that," Henry answered. "William Afton tried to use his one demonic wager to destroy the happiness that you and your new family tried so hard to restore. But though Nightmare and William Afton were the ones directly behind that attack, Heaven did permit it to happen."
"Wait, WHAT?" everyone exclaimed. "WHY would Heaven let Nightmare attack our family?" Jeremy asked angrily. "Why would God let that happen?"
"Because you needed to be tested," Henry explained calmly. "It is all too easy to stand by your friends and loved ones when the light shines upon your life, and the good times are upon you with no trials or tribulations to disturb your peace. But would you stay loyal to your new father if the light faded? If a challenge to the bonds you have formed, whether it take the form of a monstrous demon or a dark truth that was only just revealed, rose to threaten your happiness? Love is only genuine if it stands strong in both the good times and the bad."
He looked at each of the ghosts' eyes. "Though he did not know that you possessed the animatronics at the time, and I am certain that he would have acted differently if he had been aware of the truth, Mike Schmidt did technically contribute to your pain by setting the animatronics to zero, allowing William Afton to dismantle them much more easily. If you were truly regretful of crimes and followed the path to redemption, then you would understand that he was doing what he believed to be the right thing and forgive him."
"Forgive what?" Gabe protested, and the rest of the ghosts started nodding in agreement as he continued. "It was our fault in the first place for killing so many innocent Night Guards! The only reason why Dad did that to begin with because he wanted to keep other people like him safe! He didn't do anything wrong!"
Henry ruffled his hair with pride in his eyes. "That realization is what allowed you all to pass God's test with flying colors. And your family is now all but unbreakable because of it. I cannot promise that there will not be any difficult times ahead. That is the nature of life on Earth, whether you are a living human or a ghost whose fate is tied to one. But no matter what comes your way, you will always have each other to endure and conquer what may come."
The ghosts looked at each other and smiled knowingly as Henry straightened himself in his chair. "I have to say, interacting with physical furniture is quite bizarre," he commented, earning laughter from the kids. "I can feel myself sitting on something if I concentrate hard enough, and yet I still feel disconnected from the world around me."
"Yeah, it was weird at first," Cassidy replied. "You get used to it after a while."
Henry nodded and looked over at his daughter. "I've heard that you and Mike went out to visit Nelson." he told her. "We always do our best to keep track of those we love, but we cannot see or know everything all the time. So I must ask you, did you find the answers that you sought?"
Charlie's eyelights flickered contentedly. "Yeah, dad. And I'm ready to put the past behind me now."
"I'm glad to hear that, baby girl," he replied as he got up from the couch. "And I think putting the past behind us would be an excellent idea. I must admit, I am quite curious to see what your new life in this house is like. Would you mind showing me around, all of you?"
"Sure thing!" Charlie and the rest of the ghosts got up into the air. "Although we probably shouldn't go to the basement, it'd be rude for us to interrupt whatever Mike, Melody, and Oskar are doing."
Henry made a gesture of agreement as he followed the ghosts around. The creator of the Fazbear franchise couldn't help but be impressed by how surprisingly simple Mike's home was despite living in a mansion with millions of dollars at his disposal. Clearly, Mike had not fallen to the lures of greed and decadence that had ensnared and tainted all too many men with wealth. As Charlie and the other ghosts guided her father up the stairs to see their bedrooms, Henry found himself right next to Liz. The girl looked conflicted, as though she was debating whether to speak to him or not.
Henry saw the struggle in her eyes. "You don't have anything to fear from me, Elizabeth…" he began.
"It's Liz, now…" Liz quietly corrected. "Liz Schmidt."
Henry nodded. "My sincerest apologies. You don't have anything to fear from me, Liz. Whatever question you wish to ask me, I will answer."
His assurance was the small push that Liz needed. "Mr. Henry…do you know anything about…about Mikey?" she looked up at the man pleadingly. "Or Evan? Do you know where my brothers are? What happened to them after…everything ended?"
"I have indeed seen them," Henry confirmed, and Liz perked up slightly as she finally realized she was about to get the answers that she had sought. "Both of them have been granted admittance to Heaven, though unlike most souls in Paradise they are not entirely content with where they are. Your younger brother Evan is a unique and frankly odd case in that he sometimes vanishes from the Kingdom of God. I do not know where he goes off to, but since he always returns after a short while I am not too worried."
"And M-Mikey?"
A knowing look entered his eyes and he was about to answer, when they suddenly heard the doorbell ring and footsteps come up the stairs from the basement. "Another one?" Mike's confused voice echoed in the hallway. "Who the heck could that be?" He reached the front door and pulled it open, revealing the ghostly figure of a man with bushy brown hair and blue eyes. Mike had never seen him before and yet there was something about him that seemed him incredibly familiar. "Uh…who might you be?" Mike asked, puzzled.
Before the stranger could answer, Henry was suddenly right next to Mike, the ghostly man's features lit up with recognition and delight. "You're finally here!" he declared, and Mike's unease faded – whoever this man was, Henry clearly held him in high regard. "I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't come here at all." He turned to Mike. "This man here has dedicated his entire life to undoing the nightmare that his father created. Mr. Schmidt, I'd like you to meet Michael Afton."
Mike's eyes widened in surprise. "So YOU'RE Michael Afton!" he exclaimed. "I knew there was something about you that I recognized." He held out his hand. "I'm Mike Schmidt," he introduced himself. "I'm the one who's been taking care of the ghost kids for the past couple of months."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Michael returned the greeting. "I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Schmidt. I've been waiting to come here for a long time, but I could not do so until the Heavenly Father gave His blessing on Christmas."
Mike's lips twitched. He already knew the true reason why Michael Afton had come to his home, and though the man was doing his best to be polite, he could tell that Michael wanted to reunite with one person in particular as soon as possible. "I can tell what you want and I won't waste any more of your time. Hey guys!" he called up the stairs. "I'd like you to meet the man who helped save you all from the Purple Guy!"
The ghosts floated down the stairs to see who Mike was talking about. Fritz's eyes widened in horror and outrage as he saw Michael. "That's the Purple Guy!" he shouted.
Michael smacked his face with his palm. "Damn my father and my similar appearance to him," he growled.
"This is not William Afton, Fritz," Henry scolded gently but firmly. "This is Michael Afton, his son. He was the one who spent years trying to discover the true nature of the tragedy and end his father's evil."
"Oh," Fritz had the grace to look sheepish. "Sorry about that."
Michael waved it off. "This is not the first time I've been mistaken for my monster of a father," he replied. "And I am certain that it won't be the last." As he lifted his hand from his face, his eyes suddenly caught the one ghost who had been hanging towards the top of the stairs. A girl with orange hair and green eyes that he couldn't have possibly have forgotten. The stoic expression on his face instantly melted into recognition and amazement. "Lizzie?" he asked, and for a moment his voice sounded far younger than it had been seconds before.
Liz stood utterly still, not making a sound or movement. As her eyes met her brother's, memories that she had tried so hard to suppress suddenly came flooding back to her. Memories of seeing him in the Scooping Room when she had been about to kill him as Ennard, memories of trying to brutally murder him as Scrap Baby before Henry's false pizzeria came crashing down around them.
And then, like a poison seeping into an open wound, Nightmare's condemnation from that cursed night rose from the shadows of the past and clawed at her soul.
"YOU SPAT ALL OVER HIS NAME," the demon's voice hissed in her mind.
"YOU TURNED HIS GIFT INTO AN ABOMINATION, SQUANDERED THE FREEDOM HE GAVE YOU!"
"FOR SOMEONE WHO CLAIMED TO LOVE AND CHERISH YOUR BROTHER AS YOU DID, YOU DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE FIRST THING ABOUT HIM OR WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO DO."
"YOU DIDN'T DESERVE THE FREEDOM HE GAVE YOU. YOU DIDN'T DESERVE HIM."
And then a final denunciation, a combination of her brother's hate-filled voice from her tainted dream and Nightmare's monstrous tone: "YOU ARE NOT MY SISTER!"
Liz let out a strangled cry of despair and horror as she turned around and fled up the stairs, away from the brother she couldn't face. "Lizzie!" Michael called out to her with a voice filled with confusion and shock, but it was no use. Liz fled past the stunned forms of the other ghost children and down the hallway, struggling to hold back her tears as she fled to the sanctuary of her bedroom. The only thing that the ghost kids could hear afterwards were her broken sobs deep within.
Michael looked desperately at Henry and Mike. "What just happened?" he asked frantically, his stoic façade shattered as he tried to understand his sister's sudden fear and sorrow.
Mike sighed. "Nightmare attacked our family once, trying to fulfill a wager that your father made." A low hiss of pure hatred escaped from Michael's lips, but he said nothing and instead gestured for Mike to continue. "He tried to break apart our family by revealing dark truths about each other. I don't know why, but Nightmare went after Liz the hardest. She didn't know about what she'd done to you, and Nightmare revealed everything in the worst way possible. I remember what he said to her as clear as day even though it happened months ago, and I think seeing you triggered all those terrible memories."
"We were also attacked in our dreams by Nightmare before he showed himself to us," Charlie added. "To this day I don't exactly know what Liz's nightmare was, but I'm willing to bet it had something to do with you."
"I'll go get Liz once she calms down…" Fritz offered.
"NO," Mike and Henry both countered. The two looked at each other, and Henry wordlessly beckoned for Mike to explain. "We can't help her now,"he told him in a tone that the ghosts had only rarely heard him use before. It was a tone that was filled with authority, one that demanded complete respect and would accept no argument. "There is only one person here who can."
"This is something that Michael has to do alone," Henry agreed. "Liz needs him to forgive her before she can forgive herself." He looked straight into Michael's eyes. "Go to her. She needs you."
Michael nodded in acknowledgment and floated up the stairs after his sister. He followed the sounds of muffled crying until he was right outside the door. Focusing his essence, he knocked on the door once. When no answer came, he slowly phased his way through and into the room that Liz now called her own.
Liz had buried her head deep within the bed, tears of black ichor flowing freely down her face. "I can't do it!" she mumbled, not realizing that her brother could hear every word. "I can't…I can't face him…not after everything I did to him. I thought I was ready, I thought that by doing the right thing for once I could get over my guilt. But I can't! I can't…I can't…"
"Lizzie…" Michael put a gentle hand on her shoulder, and the girl jolted as realized her brother was there. "Lizzie…"
"I'M SORRY!" she interrupted with a wail as she buried her head in his chest. "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY I KILLED YOU! I'M SORRY I MADE YOU INTO A LIVING CORPSE! I'M SORRY I ALMOST TURNED INTO A MURDERER LIKE HIM AND TRIED TO KILL YOU OVER AND OVER AGAIN! I'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRY…" her voice collapsed into broken sobs. "I'm sorry that you had to have me for a sister…" she finished with a whimper.
Michael didn't say or do anything for several moments. Then, he slowly wrapped his arms around Liz and held her tightly to his body. Tears were flowing out his eyes too as he buried his head in his sister's shoulder. "I never once held any of that against you, Lizzie," he finally whispered into her ear. "If I have any hatred in my heart, it is for the father who betrayed us both, but never you. I love you now just as much as I loved you before this whole mess started. Nothing about that has changed."
"B…but how?" Liz cried out. "I m-murdered you. I b-betrayed you and everything y-you stood for. H-how can you still l-love me after e-everything I've done?"
Michael sighed and sat down on the bed, patting the space next to him for Liz to join him. "I could give you so many reasons," he began. "That it wasn't your fault, that you didn't know what was going on…but I'm sure you've heard all of these before. If I told you the same thing, it wouldn't help you at all, even if it is true. I need to tell you something different. Something that will convince you beyond a shadow of a doubt that that I still love you from the bottom of my heart."
He took a deep breath. "Lizzie…it's time that I told you the truth about something terrible that happened a long time ago. Everyone looks up to me as the hero who ended our father's evil, but I know the truth. I am no hero." To Liz's shock, a look of pain and regret disturbingly similar to her own appeared on his face. "Everything I did to stop father, every time I took the Night Guard position, every time I took the Night Guard position to discover the truth and try to set his victims free…it was not heroism. It was atonement. Atonement for a terrible wrong that I committed years ago, even before your death at the hands of Baby."
Liz gave her brother a baffled look. "Atonement?" she repeated. "What could you have possibly done, Mikey?"
Michael sighed. "It's time I told you the truth about what happened in 1983, Lizzie. Do you know that Evan died that year?"
Her sister thought for a moment, then shuddered as the memories returned. "Yeah…" she murmured. "But I don't know any of the details."
"The truth is, Lizzie, he was killed by one of the animatronics. And it wasn't just an accident."
Liz glanced up at her brother in confusion. "What are you talking abou…" her voice trailed off as she realized, to her shock, that tears were flowing out of Michael's eyes.
"I was so, so cruel to Evan, back when he was still alive," he confessed. "Almost every day I made his life a living Hell, hiding in different places everywhere in our house and scaring him when I didn't think he was expecting it. And as his birthday drew ever closer, I only got worse." His voice wavered. "I…I locked him in the goddamn security closet at Fredbear's Family Diner, for God's sake! What the hell made me think that was a good idea?"
"Mikey…" Liz wasn't sure she wanted to hear anymore. "You don't have to…"
"No," Michael's voice was firm. "I'm going to tell you the truth. I owe it to you…and I owe it to him." He took several deep breaths to try and calm himself. "When his birthday finally came, I trapped him with some of my friends. We were all wearing the pizzeria's damn mascots, making a sick joke even more twisted. He was crying, begging for us to let him go. But we just picked up, and I remember…I told my friends it would be fun to lift up Evan and drag him over to Fredbear. I…I shoved his head into Fredbear's mouth, thinking that it would be a good idea to give him a kiss."
Liz's eyes widened in horror as she finally realized what Michael was saying. "Oh my God…"
Michael shook his head, thoroughly disgusted at how despicable his past self had been. "And then, while we were all laughing, Fredbear's jaws…they closed on…they…they closed on…" he burst into tears and buried his face into his hands. "I killed him!" he almost shouted in despair. "I killed my brother! Oh, it might have technically been an accident, but I'm the only reason Evan ended up that way in the first place!"
Liz stared silently as she watched her brother weep. She hadn't once imagined that Michael had been the reason why Evan had died all those years ago. Now it all made sense…why Michael's personality had suddenly changed so dramatically after his death, why he had worked so hard to undo their former father's evil when he could have just walked away from it all.
"No matter how bad you think you might have been, Lizzie, you were never, EVER as bad as me," Michael said fervently once he had recovered. "I could never hate you for what you did to me, because I did the EXACT SAME THING to Evan. And I don't have any good excuses, like you do. I wasn't trapped alone inside the body of an animatronic for years, driven insane without anybody to talk to. I didn't have my soul corrupted by tainted programming or being exposed to father's wickedness. No…all that malice, all that sadism and cruelty...that was mine and mine alone. I had blackened my soul with an unspeakable crime when I was barely a teenager, and the only thing I could think of doing afterwards was to try and make up for a murder that should never have happened."
Liz leaned into her brother's arm. "You did make up for it, Mikey," she murmured to comfort him. "You stopped father. You stopped me. You saved everyone who needed to be saved. And you were forgiven in the end. Just like the rest of us were when Charlie's father burned the last pizzeria down."
Michael shook his head. "My crime might not have been unforgivable, when the long road of my life finally ended. But it WAS inexcusable. And in the days that followed, Nightmare made that very, VERY clear."
Liz instantly jolted from Michael's arm and she looked at him in horror. "You've…you've met Nightmare before?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
The sick feeling in her core solidified at her brother's words. "You are not the first Afton that Nightmare has tormented, Lizzie. You are not even the second. He crushed my soul with the weight of my sins long before the tragedy of Freddy Fazbear's pizzeria started proper. And unlike you, I deserved every single moment of the torment that Nightmare unleashed upon me. I knew that back then, and I know it now."
Before Liz could say anything, Michael looked down and straight into her eyes. "I'm not going to call you lucky, Lizzie. You should never have had to cross paths with him in the first place, or suffer so cruelly at his hands. But his attack was not nearly as devastating as it could have been. He came by himself, his only attack on you besides his words was a punch that you could easily heal from, and you had a whole new family to support you and pull you through. NONE of those applied to me, Lizzie."
"No…" was all Liz could breath out as she realized the implications.
"I was completely alone when the demon trapped me in my own special nightmare, a temporary Hell for a soul that was not damned yet but was on its way to becoming so," Michael shuddered as he recalled those terrible days of punishment. "In that cursed dream, Nightmare was free to bring down the full force of his wrath upon my head, killing me over and over again in ways that would make father look merciful in comparison, only for me to respawn so he could continue the vicious cycle. And he didn't come alone. He wanted to see me suffer first from a distance before he came after me personally, and to that end he unleashed his unholy brethren upon me. Fellow demons who had taken on nightmarish forms of the Freddy Fazbear animatronics that you are so familiar with."
"How many?" Liz's voice was barely above a terrified whisper. "How many did Nightmare send after you?"
Michael looked straight into his sister's eyes again, and Liz saw a broken, tormented gaze would haunt her for the rest of eternity. "All of them."
/
A/N: Well, I think I dropped a couple of bombshells here and there. How many of you were expecting Michael Afton to appear, and for the reunion with his sister to happen at long last? And how many of you were expecting the Nightmares to return? I promised you lore exploration, and I am here to give you lore exploration. Five Nights at Freddy's 4 included, in more aspects than one. And with that shall come a fresh heaping of darkness.
There's a theory that was once fringe, but is becoming increasingly popular, that Michael Afton was the protagonist of FNAF4 rather than the Bite Victim. He was the one who was attacked by the Nightmares instead of the Bite Victim, those horrifying creatures being manifestations of the Older Brother's guilt towards the death of his brother.
Now add in MY interpretation of the Nightmares and their modus operandi from Nightmare's past arc, and you shall soon see…Michael Afton will not be getting his punishment in the Ultimate Custom Night after FNAF6. He will be getting his punishment NOW.
So let's take Five Nights at Freddy's 4, which I personally believe to be scariest game in the entire series…AND SEE HOW MUCH WORSE I CAN MAKE IT. HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH…HEH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
