A/N: So I just got shit on HARD this week when my main computer's hard drive suddenly fucked up and all the stuff on it is gone. I can't justify backing up the information on it before getting it replaced since there's almost nothing on it that's useful for me in terms of real-life utility that I can't easily replace on the Internet.
And funnily enough, most of the gaming stuff on my computer is either saved elsewhere (emulators) or online (League). The biggest loss of data from my hard drive? All my FNAF accomplishments. All the hard work I put into FNAF1-4 and UCN, all gone for good. And while some of it can be restored easily, mainly FNAF1-FNAF2, I am NOT putting in the effort for FNAF 3, 4, or UCN again considering how many hours I wasted trying to beat the hardest challenges, especially not with Boards looming around the corner. RIP all my FNAF work, you will be sadly missed.
It also ended up destroying the original version of this chapter that I had written, and unfortunately I can't regurgitate everything that I wrote up originally. Hopefully you still enjoy the chapter regardless.
Ari-Dexel13: I don't plan on doing more Epic Fantasy Adventure chapters since the reception to them was relatively lukewarm compared to some of the other chapters. The One Night at Mike's chapters have pretty much replaced them. As for D&D, that's actually an interesting idea I haven't thought of that definitely merits further consideration.
FedoraCritic: The hot air balloons weren't really flying, they were on a track. Though I don't think a ghost kid who's never seen a hot air balloon or an amusement park before would either notice or care. MCI means Missing Children Incident. And as for the minor characters, you'll just have to wait and see 😊
Josh: This fic's afterlife is based on Christianity, so almost all ghosts pass on to the afterlife after death. The ghost kids are very much the exception to the norm, and while other ghosts from Heaven CAN visit them these are special circumstances and temporary.
Jillybean: I can't give you a long answer, so the short answer will be "yes."
Guest: I have no idea, when I run out of ideas maybe. I do already have an ending for the fic in mind when I finally decide to wrap it up, but I still have a couple of good ideas left.
Fnaffan418: Perhaps. I'm not sure when she will, though.
A lot of you guys have put guesses as to what the nature of the Darkest Arc will be, but you're either (a) wrong, (b) don't have the full picture, or (c) both. Which makes me very, very happy. Heh heh heh heh heh…
Chapter 69 – One Night at Mike's 2
"So what's the plan for today?" Mike asked as he put the remote for the TV aside. After they had returned to America, Melody had insisted that Mike show the kids the Indiana Jones films. Mike had initially been hesitant to do so, since unlike other film series he had shown the kids Indiana Jones had some quite…graphic scenes, until Cassidy of all people had pointed out rather bluntly that they had been witness to their own grisly death scenes and that a mere movie couldn't compare to the horrors they had experienced. Mike had conceded after that and shown them the first movie, which the kids had taken in remarkably well…up until the iconic ark opening scene.
"What the FUCK did I just watch?" Gabe exclaimed as he stared at the ark that had single-handedly annihilated the Nazis in increasingly brutal and horrific ways.
"You were right, dad..." Susie admitted, looking more than a little queasy. "That WAS worse than our own deaths. The way that guy's skin melted off his face…EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"
"I don't know if I should feel sorry for those guys or be satisfied they got what they deserved," Fritz looked conflicted more than anything. "Cause you know…Nazis."
"If you thought that was a bit much, you REALLY aren't going to like Temple of Doom…" Mike muttered. His eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh, I know what I want to do!" he declared. "Let's play a round of One Night at Mike's, it's been a while since we played it."
The ghosts looked at each other uncertainly. "Out of all the things we could be doing, that's the first thing that comes to your mind?" Susie asked incredulously
"It's a good way to test the reflexes and make sure I don't get slow in my old age," her father explained. "I actually do get some practical utility out of this. That and it gives me a hell of an adrenaline rush that I can't get doing anything else."
Liz shrugged. "Whatever works for you, dad."
"I guess I could use this time to get used to walking around in an animatronic again," Gabe commented. "It's been a while since I've been in Rockstar Freddy."
"Great!" he grinned. "Let's cut through the bullshit and go straight to Night 6 conditions. I'm in a bit of a masochistic mood and I'm curious to see just how badly trying this at high difficulty without weeks of practice is going to bite me in the ass."
Round 1, 12 AM
"Shit, I forgot how creepy those bots are when we're playing this game," Mike muttered as he scanned the bedroom, all three of the animatronics in his bedroom staring right back at him through the camera. Remembering the fundamental strategy that had served him so well in his other attempts, he quickly switched over to the bathroom to keep Rockstar Foxy at bay and then to the basement to start winding up the music box.
As he put down the tablet and checked Scrap Baby, who fortunately had not moved from her dormant state, he heard footsteps above him. "Oh, that's just great," Mike muttered. "Barely 10 seconds into the game and they're already gunning for my ass." His irritation only increased when he heard the tell-tale sign of footsteps on the stairs while doing a quick sweep of Rockstar Foxy and the Security Puppet.
He managed to get through two rounds of checking Rockstar Foxy, Security Puppet, and Scrap Baby without incident, but his luck ran out on the third. As he pressed the button on the tablet screen to wind the music box, he felt the tablet being forced downward. Rockstar Bonnie stared soullessly at him with black eyes and white pinpricks as the already dim light in the living room began to flicker erratically.
Mike lifted up the Fuckstick to block him off…and it slipped out of his hand, clattering onto the ground. "You've got to be fucking kidding me!" He growled. "The first attack of the night and I already manage to fuck it up. Fan-FUCKING-tastic." He glared up at Rockstar Bonnie. "Yeah yeah yeah, hurry up and kick my ass already. I NEVER dropped the Fuckstick before today, what an absolute goddamn embarrassme…"
"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Rockstar Bonnie let out an earsplitting screech as he got up into Mike's face, flailing his arms about wildly. Mike merely sighed as he heard the other animatronics leave their positions and converge in the living room.
"You got him already?" Rockstar Freddy asked incredulously. "That was fast!"
"I butterfingered the fucking Fuckstick," Mike groaned. "Thank God you can't make that kind of mistake with the Freddy mask in FNAF2 or that game really WOULD be impossible."
"Aww, it's okay, dad…" Rockstar Chica patted Mike's head comfortingly. Then, somehow, a smug look appeared on her face. "Maybe you're just getting old."
Mike gave her an unimpressed glance as the other animatronics started giggling. "Har har," he retorted, "let's do another round, then. I'll kick your asses this time!"
"You will try, dad…" the Security Puppet smirked. "You will try…"
Round 2, 1 AM
"Aww fuck, you're here already?" Mike groaned as he held off the Fuckstick to block off Rockstar Freddy. "I was hoping you wouldn't show up until a little later. Damn…" he muttered as he flipped up the tablet to check on the Security Puppet. "Freddy's gonna be such a major pain in the ass now that he's already in the Hallway…"
2:00 AM
"Ah, shit!" Mike snarled as he realized that Rockstar Foxy was gone from the bathroom. He threw down the tablet, forgetting to lift up the Fuckstick to deflect any potential animatronics (although fortunately there weren't any around this time), listened carefully for the sound of Foxy's footsteps, then flashed the light immediately at the right entrance. The pirate animatronic was there, hand raised and ready to strike at any moment. "Not today, bitch!" Mike taunted. "Sit the fuck down!"
He grinned as he saw Rockstar Foxy leave the hallway and then went to check his light on Scrap Baby. To his dismay, the clown animatronic had taken full advantage of the distraction caused by Rockstar Foxy, and was now twitching agitatedly on the sofa, her green eyes flashing dangerously. Without missing a beat, Mike lifted up the flashlight and shined it repeatedly into her face. "You need to cease and fucking desist right now!"
3 AM
"Can you actually just FUCK OFF?" Mike almost shouted as he lifted up the Fuckstick to block off Rockstar Freddy for what seemed like the umpteenth time. "Jesus Christ…" he muttered as Rockstar Freddy left the living room. "When I designed his game mechanics, I didn't imagine that he'd end up being this fucking annoying!"
3:30 AM
"Great, if it's not the brown jackass it's his piss-colored brother," Mike muttered as he watched Rockstar Golden Freddy disappear upon seeing the Fuckstick flipped up at him. "Where does he even fuck off to when he disappears? And how the hell do I not know the answer to this question when I'm the one who came up with these rules in the first place?"
4:15 AM
"Shit, shit, SHIT!" Mike hissed as he watched Rockstar Chica leave the living room. By sheer catastrophic misfortune, he had just experienced the supreme displeasure of having Rockstar Freddy, Rockstar Bonnie, AND Rockstar Chica attack the living room one after the other. This by itself wouldn't have been a huge issue in and of itself, if it weren't for the fact that none of them had given him any more than a second or two to wind up the music box before they had left. Now the music box was down to less than a quarter of its time, Rockstar Foxy had stepped out of the shower curtain ready to strike, and Scrap Baby was twitching on the sofa with her eyes glowing.
In other words, he was almost certainly fucked.
"Okay, first things first…" he muttered as he flashed his light on Scrap Baby's face. After a seeming eternity, she deactivated back down into her dormant state. Mike immediately whipped the tablet up and cursed when he saw that the music box was almost out of time. Winding it up as much as he dared, he switched over to the bathroom….and cursed when he saw that it was empty.
Rockstar Foxy was coming.
"God, not now, please…" Mike pleaded as he paid close attention to where Rockstar Foxy's footsteps were running. He flashed his light into the left entryway where the animatronic was waiting, knowing with a sinking feeling that it would take much longer to deflect him this time compared to before. After a seeming eternity, Rockstar Foxy finally left, and Mike dared to take a breath in relief.
And then the sound of "Pop Goes the Weasel" began to echo throughout the house.
"Oh, God fucking dammit!" Mike threw down the tablet in frustration, knowing that there was no point in checking any further. It was only the equivalent of 4:30 AM – trying to outlast the Security Puppet would be impossible. "I got fucked over so hard! The three stooges outside didn't give me any time at all! How the hell am I supposed to be able to win when…
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The Security Puppet leapt out of the shadows of the basement doorway, crashing into Mike with a tackle-hug. "Aww…you ruined my rant!" Mike complained even as he resisted the urge to chuckle at his daughter's antics.
The Security Puppet giggled as the rest of the animatronics came in. "Well, then I'm even happier that I interrupted you then!"
"You say some really weird shit, dad," Rockstar Freddy commented dryly.
Mike had the grace to look a bit sheepish. "Yeah, I tend to be like that when I play competitive games. I can't help it though, I get really caught up in what I'm doing and dropping F-Bombs help me focus when things start going to shit. Such as during Night 6 when everyone here is trying their hardest to kick my ass. Don't take anything I say personally."
"Eh," Scrap Baby giggled. "I find it funny more than anything else. It's taking a lot of effort not to laugh when I see you go off on a rant."
"We're not even trying our hardest yet," Rockstar Bonnie pointed out before he widened the animatronic's mouth into a grin. The effect would've been a tad creepy if Mike wasn't used to it. "We could always do 7/20 mode!"
"Oh hell no," Mike retorted. "Not until I can actually beat Night 6 first. So, let's have another go at it, shall we? Wonder who'll kick my ass this time?"
Three rounds later, 5:30 AM
"Thank Christ…" Mike muttered as he scanned through the two important cameras. "No bullshit so far compared to the last few rounds. Just need to last a couple more seconds and I can finally beat this night after weeks of losing my touch!"
He wound up the music box as much as possible before it got pulled down by Rockstar Bonnie. The man wasted no time in lifting up the Fuckstick in front of the obnoxiously familiar animatronic's face, smirking in satisfaction as he watched the animatronic leave.
"I wonder how the hell Balloon Boy would work in this setting?" he wondered absentmindedly as he deactivated Scrap Baby. The clown animatronic ghost had only advanced to her first stage of movement so she had only lifted her head, but Mike wasn't going to take any chances with her now that he was so close to the end. He raised the tablet to wind up the music box and checked the bathroom, cursing when he realized that the animatronic was gone.
"You are not taking this away from me when I'm so close to the end!" Mike vowed. He listened carefully to the sounds Rockstar Foxy was making and, once he had tracked them down, immediately shined his flashlight on the right hallway. The pirate animatronic was there in his familiar threatening pose, but Mike only smiled as he neutralized the threat and sent him packing.
"I'm almost there, I'm so close!" the man murmured. After going through another round of checks, he felt the tablet being pulled down by, to his complete lack of surprise, Rockstar Freddy.
"God, you are so irritating!" Mike exclaimed as flipped up the Fuckstick. "If I didn't need this to protect myself, I'd give this thing to you just so you could shove it up your…"
DING! DONG!
Both animatronic and human slowly turned their heads to look at the cell phone that marked the countdown for the game. The numbers 0:00 flashed on the screen as it let out the Westminster Chimes, signaling the end of the round…and victory for Mike.
"YES! Finally!" Mike crowed triumphantly, sticking up two actual middle fingers at Rockstar Freddy. "Up yours!"
Rockstar Freddy returned his eyes to normal and rolled them as the others joined them at the living room. "Took you long enough," Rockstar Bonnie deadpanned as he absentmindedly strummed his guitar.
"Hey, half of those losses were because of bullshit moments where all of you kept ganging up on me," Mike countered. "I'd like to see you try and juggle all this shit at once." Suddenly, his eyes widened and the kids within the animatronics could see the makings of an idea form in his mind. "Actually…why don't you guys try this?"
"What?" Rockstar Golden Freddy asked.
"Why don't you guys try taking my place?" Mike clarified, now genuinely excited at the idea. "So far I've been the only one blocking off animatronics in the living room. Why don't we have somebody else play the game instead and see how well they do?"
The animatronics looked at each other, and after a few seconds they smiled as they warmed up to the idea. "That actually sounds like it could be a lot of fun!" Rockstar Chica exclaimed.
"I have to admit, I always wondered what it was like to be in your shoes, dad," Rockstar Freddy added.
"I bet I could beat all of you on my first try!" Rockstar Foxy boasted.
"More like you'll be the one to fuck up the hardest," Rockstar Bonnie snarked, earning a dirty look from his brother.
"I think you guys are forgetting something," the Security Puppet interrupted. "What's Dad going to do while we're doing all this? Whoever takes his place has one less animatronic to deal with. Is he just going to twiddle his thumbs for the next several minutes while sitting flat on his ass?"
Everyone stared at her, and then Mike burst out laughing. "Man, I have corrupted you and I have absolutely zero shame in that whatsoever," he chortled, before adopting a thoughtful expression. "All joking aside, you do have a point."
"Knowing you, dad, I have a hard time believing that you don't already have a plan for this," Scrap Baby pointed out dryly.
Mike grinned. "You know me so well, Liz, but in this case the solution is pretty simple. I'LL be taking the place of whichever animatronic is defending in the living room. I'll be one of the attackers."
The animatronics exchanged looks that clearly conveyed their interest and curiosity even through the robotic faces. What would their dad be like as an "attacker" rather than the Night Guard? Would he be more or less scary than they were? "Of course," the man added, "I won't be able to take over Golden Freddy's role since, you know, I can't teleport. We'll have to figure something out for him a little later. So…who wants to go first?"
The Security Puppet facepalmed the moment he asked his question. For all that he was a wonderful father, especially given his complete lack of an appropriate father figure for most of the early years of his life, Mike always forgot that asking the question "who wants to go first?" is never a good idea when you're dealing with a group of kids who all wanted to do the same thing. Needless to say, he soon had to quickly dissolve the arguments that broke out amongst the animatronics over who wanted to be the Night Guard first. To keep things fair, he decided to write each kid's name on a slip of paper and picked one randomly from a cap. As luck would have it, Rockstar Chica would be the one to go first.
"Ooh, I get to go first!" the animatronic bird declared excitedly. "Hopefully I've gotten better at FNAF that I can actually win on my first try here."
"We're going to be doing this under Night 3 conditions since it's your first try," Mike told her. "Nothing too horrible, but it's not going to be a complete walk in the park either. And before we begin…" he turned to look at Rockstar Golden Freddy. "Can I talk to you privately for a second?"
"Sure thing, dad!" the animatronic happily agreed, and the two left the living room for a couple of seconds. When they returned, a faint smile was on Mike's face and Rockstar Golden Freddy was looking like he was trying not to giggle. Both of which immediately sent the rest of the animatronics on high alert.
"What are you guys planning?" Scrap Baby asked suspiciously.
"Nothing you need to worry about," Mike replied blithely. The looks that they gave him made it clear they didn't really believe him, but it was clear that neither of the two would spill the beans and the animatronics decided there was no point in trying to pry.
"I'll be watching you," Rockstar Chica warned with her eyes narrowed. She sat down on the couch and picked up the tablet. "But for now, let's see how well I do!"
12 AM
"Okay," Rockstar Chica took a breath. "I can do this. I just need to remember Dad's strategy." She picked up the tablet and opened it up to the bedroom camera. Mike was standing in front on the bed to the left of Rockstar Freddy, just like she would be under normal circumstances. The man was staring straight in front of him with the same blank stare that the other animatronics had. If she was honest with herself, it was more than a little creepy.
Deciding not to waste any time, she switched over to the basement and began winding up the Security Puppet's music box. After a few seconds, she switched over to the bathroom where Rockstar Foxy was hiding behind his curtain and put away the tablet…
…only to stare right into the face of Rockstar Golden Freddy.
"Oh, come on!" Rockstar Chica complained as she lifted up the Fuckstick to make him disappear. "That's so BS, Cass!" She heard a giggle as the animatronic disappeared and sighed. Fortunately, Liz apparently had more mercy than Cass did, as Scrap Baby had not moved from her dormant state.
Rockstar Chica opened the tablet again, deciding that since it was only Night 3 conditions she had the time to try and stall Rockstar Freddy as well as Rockstar Foxy. When she opened up the bedroom, this time the three characters in the bedroom were staring straight into the camera. The expressions on Rockstar Bonnie's and Rockstar Freddy's faces hadn't changed…but Mike's had.
Mike was now smiling, but it wasn't the kind or good-humored smile that she had grown to attach to her father. The upward twist of his lips was contemptuous, even mocking. And the light that now gleamed in his eyes could only be described as predatory. "I am coming for you," the smile seemed to say. "You cannot escape me."
Rockstar Chica shuddered. "Eek!" she gasped out as she quickly changed the camera away from the bedroom. It was almost comforting to look at the familiar cameras of the bathroom and basement, even though she was fully aware that these two could pose the biggest threat.
Remembering that she had to check on Scrap Baby, Rockstar Chica put down the tablet and instinctively raised to Fuckstick to block off a second potential cheap attack from Rockstar Golden Freddy, although this time there wasn't any. Scrap Baby had taken advantage of her time on the tablet to raise her head, and Rockstar Chica quickly shined her flashlight on her face repeatedly until she was pacified.
Hearing footsteps above her, the animatronic quickly opened the tablet to check on the bedroom. Rockstar Freddy was still in the bedroom, but Rockstar Bonnie and Mike was gone. Even though she knew that checking on Mike was a waste of time since he was acting in her role, Rockstar Chica couldn't resist checking the upper hallway to see where he was.
The man was standing in the very back of the hallway, toward the shadows. Rockstar Chica felt a spike of fear when she saw that Mike was no longer just smiling, but flat-out grinning. And just like the dark smile in the bedroom, Mike's grin was utterly menacing and utterly devoid of any warmth or kindness, an expression worthy of a fantasy villain that highlighted the danger that he posed to whoever he was hunting down in the living room. The shadows seemed to be covering most of the upper part of his face, and…
…Rockstar Chica blinked. Was that a gleam of red in Mike's eyes?
"OH GOD THE PUPPET!" she shrieked, suddenly realizing that she had completely forgotten about the other threats that she needed to thwart. Thankfully, Rockstar Foxy hadn't changed from his position behind the curtain, but the Security Puppet's music box was almost down to half because of her distraction. Rockstar Chica frantically pressed her finger down onto the wind-up button, her anxiety easing slightly as she saw the meter go back to full. But even with both of them now taken care of, Rockstar Chica didn't feel any more at ease.
"Out of everyone that's coming after me in this house," she thought worriedly, "why is dad the one that scares me the most?"
1:30 AM
"Oh, crap, you're already coming after me!" Rockstar Chica squealed as she saw that Rockstar Foxy had already climbed out of the bathtub and was ready to attack. She switched over to the basement and wound up the music box for a few seconds, when suddenly she felt the tablet being forced down.
Mike was standing in front of her, staring down right into her eyes with a gaze that seemed to pierce right into the depth of her soul. The grin that he had been wearing in the upper hallway was still on his face, and now that the man was up close and personal in the living room the expression seemed to be even darker and more terrifying than it had been in the safety of a room far away. To her horror and confusion, the lights in the living room began to flicker on and off frantically, just like they did every time a possessed animatronic entered. But how the hell was Mike doing the exact same thing that they did?
"Eep!" Rockstar Chica squealed as she lifted up the Fuckstick to block her father off. For a terrible second, she thought that she had been too slow and that Mike was about to attack, but eventually the man turned around and left, the lights returning back to normal as he departed. Rockstar Chica breathed a huge sigh of relief as her eyes moved over to Scrap Baby, who had remained dormant the entire time. If Liz had been just as disturbed as she was over what they had just witnessed, she hid it excellently behind Scrap Baby's grotesque visage.
"What the hell?" she asked frantically. "How was dad able to DO that? WHAT IS GOING ON?"
4:30 AM
As the round progressed, Rockstar Chica's anxiety slowly began to fade away. True to Mike's words, the round itself wasn't too difficult since it was only Night 3, and she had enough experience with FNAF2 to settle into the routine. Even Mike's attacks, as disturbing as they were, weren't all that difficult for her to block off on a functional level. Rockstar Chica slowly let herself sink into some level of comfort, secure in the knowledge that her strategy was working and that, despite Rockstar Freddy joining in on the fun at around the start of 4 AM, victory was not too far away.
And then she made the mistake of checking on Mike's location. Rockstar Foxy had already attacked once and was back to being behind the curtain, and the Security Puppet's music box had been raised up to full. So Rockstar Chica decided that she had the time to satisfy her curiosity and check on Mike. She scanned through the cameras until she found Mike on the stairs…
…and screamed in horror at what she saw.
Mike was staring directly at her, his face inches away from the camera…and what she saw could not possibly be human anymore.
His entire face was covered in the blackest shadows, the top of his head wreathed in unnatural purple flames as though it had taken the place of his hair. The teeth in his already menacing grin had transformed from human teeth to razor-sharp fangs, and his eyes…dear God, his eyes…
They were a demon's eyes, blood-red and without pupils, burning with a scarlet glow that seemed to emanate with an unspeakable malice and ruthlessness.
It was Mike's fantasy character from his drawing all those months ago come to life…in a way that struck terror into her very soul.
"AAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rockstar Chica screamed as she dropped the tablet, reeling from what she had seen on the camera. And to make matters worse, Rockstar Freddy had chosen to attack at that moment, right when she was vulnerable and confused.
"NO!" Rockstar Chica shouted in horror as she fumbled for the Fuckstick, but in her confusion and terror she was much too slow. She was only able to get the Fuckstick up to deflect Rockstar Freddy's attack when he was already several seconds into his attack, and by then it was much too late.
"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" the animatronic screamed as he did his jumpscare motions in front of Rockstar Chica, signaling the end of the round and her defeat. The moment he was done, however, Rockstar Freddy dropped the act and approached his sister, sensing that something was wrong.
"Are you all right?" he asked in concern.
"I…I saw…" Rockstar Chica stuttered, trying to verbalize the horrifying vision she had just witnessed.
"Shit…" all eyes turned to Mike, who had arrived at the living room entrance even as the rest of the animatronics filed in. To everyone's surprise, he had a guilty and remorseful expression on his face that only increased when Rockstar Chica gave him a look of genuine fear. "I think we over did it, Cass. I'm so sorry, Susie. I didn't mean to scare you that badly."
Rockstar Chica forced herself to calm down, reminding herself that this was her loving father in front of her, when her mind clicked on something he had said. "Wait a minute…" she muttered, her eyes narrowed, "…what do you mean by overdoing it?"
A faint smile appeared on Mike's face. "Well, I wasn't sure if I was going to be scary enough for this since I'm a human amongst animatronics, so I had Cassidy use her magic to…up the scare factor a bit. We all know how good she is with illusions, after all…"
A look of outrage somehow managed to appear even through Rockstar Chica's metallic face. "Wait, Cass, that was YOU?" she all but shrieked.
Rockstar Golden Freddy appeared and let out a nervous giggle. "Yeeaaaaaahhhhhh…" she admitted. "But it was Dad's idea. He suggested that I make a couple of…adjustments…whenever he showed up on the camera to make him look a little bit…darker. He also suggested that towards the end of the round, I use my powers to make him look like his dark fantasy hero character that he showed us all those months ago. I thought it would be a funny prank to pull off."
"I noticed that we didn't really have anything going on in terms of hallucinations compared to both the actual night shift and the FNAF games," Mike continued the explanation. "So I figured now was as good of a time as any to try and experiment a bit." He sat down next to Rockstar Chica. "I really am sorry, though, Susie. I didn't think it would be that scary."
Rockstar Chica was silent for several moments. Then, suddenly a low chuckle began to emerge in her metal throat. The chuckle began to increase in volume and intensity with every second, until suddenly it emerged into full-blown laughter and hilarity. "You got me!" she exclaimed, her fear finally gone and replaced completely with both awe and amusement. "You got me good! That illusion was perfect! I can't wait to see the looks on the others' faces when they see it!"
"Wait, what illusion?" Rockstar Bonnie asked curiously. "I want to see this!"
"Oh no no no no no," Rockstar Chica interrupted him, "you'll have to wait until you actually try a round before you get to see the illusion. Otherwise you'll completely ruin the experience!"
Rockstar Freddy nodded. "I can definitely wait, then. No need to ruin a good surprise."
"We are cool, right, Sus?" Mike asked, some lingering concern still in his voice. In response, Rockstar Chica sidled up to her father and leaned next to him.
"We're cool, dad," she answered happily, content in the knowledge that the terror she had just witnessed was nothing more than an excellent prank.
"Just had to make sure," Mike smiled and got up. "I'm beat for now. Gonna get some food and then I'll decide whether I want to do something else or go to bed early for the night. See you guys later."
"Bye!" the animatronics waved after their father as he left towards the kitchen. When he was gone, Rockstar Chica turned to Rockstar Golden Freddy. "By the way, Cass, that whole effect you did with the lights whenever Dad did one of his attacks was a great idea! You made the whole thing feel real and everything!"
Rockstar Golden Freddy frowned. "That…wasn't me…"
"The prank's over, Cass…" Rockstar Chica grumbled, irritation clear in her voice. "You don't have to pretend anymore."
"I'm serious, Susie!" Rockstar Golden Freddy insisted. "That wasn't me!"
The way he said it made it clear that he was telling the truth. Rockstar Chica frowned and turned to Liz, the only other animatronic who had been in the living room the entire time. "Liz, was that you?"
Liz shook Scrap Baby's massive head. "No, I didn't have anything to do with that. I did think it was weird when it happened, but I couldn't say or do anything about it without breaking character during the game."
"You're saying that the lights went haywire every time Dad attacked?" the Security Puppet asked. When Rockstar Chica and Scrap Baby nodded, a look of confusion flickered in her eyes. "But if none of us was doing any special effects for Mike…then how was he able to manipulate the lights whenever he attacked?" The animatronics looked at each other silently, confused and even slightly nervous.
None of them had an answer to her question.
/
A/N: Ooh, spooky…
Does this count as a resurgence of Dark!Mike? I don't even know. I guess in one way it does, and the other way it doesn't really…who the heck even knows? I'll let you make the call.
Wow, I actually made this filler chapter darker than any filler chapter had any right to be, even if most of it did turn out to be a massive prank in the end. Though maybe this isn't really much of a surprise, considering that if the next arc is the potentially darkest arc then even the things that come before it might be influenced by darkness. I said before that seemingly unimportant details from an earlier chapter might have greater significance than you might think, and I stand by my word.
I wonder what explanations you guys'll come up with for how Mike was able to manipulate the lights to go crazy just like many of the animatronics in FNAF2 do whenever they attack. Maybe one of the ghosts was lying and actually did influence the lights? Or maybe the solution really is tied down to Mike in some way? I'll let you guys figure that one out.
There are so many things I can do with the ONAM chapters, and after an entire arc that had minimal involvement with FNAF-related stuff I figured this would be a welcome change of pace for you guys.
Finally, shoutout to the guy who found "Rockstar Susie" as a typo, that was admittedly hilarious. I corrected it but I'll leave a reference here just to give you guys a laugh.
Hope you guys enjoyed!
