CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: PRINCESS QUEST III
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. We stepped out and entered the Lobby of Fazer Blast, home of both Vanny's hideout and the final 'Princess Quest' game. However, if we were going to get to it, we were going to have to take care of Vanny. If we tried to get to her hideout, she might have a trick up her sleeve and stop us from getting to it. Due to how much time we have left, slowing us down long enough for the clock to hit 6 AM would be a huge win in her books.
After everything that's happened, all three of us very determined to put an end to this terrible nightmare. It was crazy. To think that everything that has happened to us would eventually lead up to this point. At first, it was a fight for survival. Now, it was a fight to end the legacy of a psycho who has taken the lives of so many kids, tearing many of the families here apart in the process. After all that's happened, I doubt I would ever find myself here ever again.
That thought made my heart ache. Even though I learned the reason for Roxanne taking a liking to me, never coming back to see her was a killblow. I couldn't even imagine the pain that she would go through after seeing no sign of me coming here with my family in the long run. But after losing my sister, I don't want to come back to a place that was will forever remind me of what I had lost.
"This is it," I said out loud as I looked around the Lobby.
"It sure is," Gregory said.
"I can't believe this is happening," Freddy said. "It's like the end of a nightmare."
I mentally smiled. He had no idea he hit the nail on the head with that statement. It was true. We were going to face the monster who had been hunting us down for most of the night. I couldn't wait to put an end to it. It has gone on for far too long.
"So, where do we go?" I asked, looking at Freddy. He pointed to a door at the far end of the room.
"We can get access to the place through that door," he said.
"Lead the way," I said. With that, we approached the door. The door slid up, allowing us to get inside.
We went down a long hallway, which looked like that of a spaceship from a movie. It was crazy, to say the least. The amount of detail and work that must've gone into building this place must've been a huge accomplishment for the construction crew. The lights even gave it a very creepy feel.
We reached the end of the hall and the door opened. We all stepped into a small Lobby filled with soft couches and tables. The place was lit up by purple neon lights, the walls filled with lit-up stars.
"What a place," I commented.
"This is Fazer Blast, my attraction," Freddy said proudly. "I am quite happy with it. The sounds of kids laughing and having fun is a joy I will give up for anything."
I smiled. It was nice to hear something like that. That statement alone showed me how much he cared about the kids who came here. I had a feeling the others felt the same when kids went into their respective attractions.
"That's great to hear," I said. "Now, come on. Let's go."
Gregory and Freddy nodded. We walked over to the door at the far end of the room. It slid open in response to our presence. We once again began walking down a long hallway to wherever it was taking us. My heart began pounding rapidly in my chest, a wave of dread washing over me. I had no idea what we were going to walk into, but we had to be ready. For all we knew, we could very well be walking right into a trap.
We reached the end of the hall where a door greeted us. The door opened and we stepped into some kind of room with two benches that were fitted with helmets and laser guns. I whipped out my dad's gun and opened the chamber. I reached into the pouch and pulled out of the ammo boxes. I took out 3 bullets from the box, placed it back in the pouch and loaded the bullets into the chamber.
"Mihael, what are you doing?" Freddy asked, horrified. I looked at him.
"Reloading my gun," I said simply. "I used 3 of the bullets in the chamber the entire night, which is surprising, to say the least. As for why, if we are walking straight into a trap, we all have to be ready for anything. I'm not taking any chances. Gregory can use one of the laser guns while I use mine. I don't give a damn about the rules. We are running out of time and we need to act now."
Freddy looked like he wanted to object before a look of defeat formed on his face. I had a feeling that he was upset with what I was going to do. I didn't give a damn about what might happen. All I cared about was getting Vanny and making her pay.
I watched as Gregory put on a helmet and picked up a laser gun. He turned to face me. He nodded and I did the same. We all began to the end of the room towards a door. It opened and we walked down a tiny hallway before we entered the next room. We walked down the hall to see a set of three doors. One on the left. One in front. One on the right.
"Let's take the left one," I said. I looked at them and saw them nod their heads. We entered the left hallway and began to walk down it. After a moment, we reached an elevator. We went inside and I saw Gregory push the button.
The door closed behind us and it began to descend. As it did, I felt my heart begin to pound more rapidly. It took everything I had to keep myself under control. I didn't know why I was getting so nervous. Something told me that something bad was going to happen. I didn't know what, but we had to be ready.
The elevator dinged and we stepped out and into the attraction itself. I surveyed our surroundings. The place itself was a massive arena, filled with several neon-colored walls, alongside artwork of the four Glamrocks Animatronics wearing space helmets and holding various alien-themed blasters. From how it was designed, it looked more like a maze than anything.
We stayed where we were. I turned my head in various directions to see if I could spot the evil bunny. There were no signs of her. I knew she was here. I had no doubt in my mind that Vanny knew we were coming to get her.
"VANNY!" I shouted angrily. "SHOW YOURSELF, YOU BASTARD! WE KNOW YOU'RE HERE!"
Silence filled the room. My anger began to boil. If she was trying to scare us or convince us to lower our guard, that wasn't going to happen. She's got another thing coming after all she had put us through.
A sinister laugh began to echo throughout the attraction. I looked up and saw what looked like to be an office hanging right above us. Standing in front of the window was Vanny herself.
"THERE!" I shouted and pointed to the window. They all looked up.
"About time you boys got here," she said in a gloatful tone. "I was starting to get bored and about to call it quits. Now that you both are here, it's time to play a game."
"What kind of game?!" Gregory called out angrily.
"All you have to do is beat all of the alien bots that will shoot you on sight and capture all 3 flags," Vanny explained. "If you win, I will give you a reward. Fail, and you die. Have fun!"
I watched as she whipped out a remote and pushed a button on it. I knew right away from what she told me was my fears coming true. We had walked straight into a trap, one that would end in our deaths if we failed.
I turned my attention to Freddy and Gregory, who were looking at me expectantly.
"Guys, listen to me," I said. They looked at me. "If we're going to win, we will have to give it our all. That means to not hold back on any of these robotic bastards. Freddy, where are the flags located?"
"There is one on the far left side of the room," Freddy began to explain. "One is up to the north and the last one is to the right."
"Then, here's what we're going to do," I began. "I will go after the one on the left. Gregory, you will capture the flag that is to the north. Freddy, go after the flag that is to the right. Once we reach our respective flags, we will capture them at once and once we do, we take out Vanny's robots. Once we have defended all three of the flags, we win. If you have any thoughts, say them right now while we still have time before they arrive."
Freddy and Gregory looked at each other, thinking carefully if they had anything to say about my plan. In all honesty, I thought I came up with a pretty decent plan. If there were any loopholes, I would love to know.
After a while, they turned to look at me, smiles plastered on their faces. I felt reassured by the sight.
"I think it's a solid plan," Freddy said. I smiled confidently.
"Yeah, we can end this stupid game in seconds," Gregory added before he reached into his pocket and whipped out a pair of very familiar star-shaped sunglasses. "Here you go, Freddy, take these sunglasses. They're Monty's. I picked them up after I took care of him. You can use these to protect your eyes from the laser guns."
To say I was surprised would be a huge lie. I was stunned. To think that he would think about taking Monty's sunglasses and keeping them for this occasion was pure genius. With them, Freddy would stand a chance on his own without getting stunned.
Freddy took the sunglasses and put them on. He looked at Gregory, his smile bright and proud.
"Thank you, superstar," Freddy said gratefully. "Now, let's do this."
"Yes," I said, clicking my gun. "Let's go!"
With that, we split up and began heading in the direction of the flags that we had to capture in order to win the game. I thought in satisfaction Vanny's shock and anger as she realized what she had done. I chuckle to myself. Oh, she had no idea how much this backfired on her.
I maneuvered throughout the arena, finding my way to the flag. As I was approaching the area where the flag was, I saw movement coming my way. I saw who it was. It was the alien robots Vanny was talking about. I almost laughed out loud at how incredibly stupid they looked. They were bland and had the antennas on their heads. I couldn't believe the damn company couldn't have made the time to make the robots much cooler than this.
I aimed my gun and fired. The heads blew up like balloons. I allowed a smirk to form on my face before I reloaded my gun and continued to search for the flag. As I did, I felt my anxiety slowly washing away. I couldn't believe I was worried for nothing. Gregory was right. We could end this in seconds.
It took me a while but I was able to find the flag. There was a button next to it. Probably there for people to push and 'capture the flag'. I smiled and walked over to the button. I pressed the button on my Fazwatch.
"Guys, I reached my flag," I said.
"Me too," Freddy replied.
"And so have I," Gregory replied.
"Okay," I said. "Now, let's take the flags at the same time to end this quickly. On the count of three, we will push the buttons at the same time. Got it?"
"You got it," they said at the same time.
"Okay," I said. "One… two… three!"
With that, I pressed the button to capture the flag. I heard the same thing happen from the Fazwatch. I knew right away that we got all three at the same time.
"All three flags have been captured," came a voice through the loudspeakers. "Time to defend!"
"You cheaters!" I heard Vanny shout. "You're not supposed to do that!"
"Sorry, Vanny!" I shouted. "We don't play by the rules!"
With that, I readied myself for the robots to come after me and my friends. I kept the fear under control. I knew in a matter of seconds, I was going to be swarmed by them. When that happened, I had to give it my all. I wasn't going to go down without a fight. If that means having to break the rules a little bit, so be it.
I saw five robots coming my way. I took aim and fired. Their heads popped like balloons and I ducked down to reload. I wanted to make sure I was loaded before the next load came in.
It didn't take long for the next to show up. It also didn't take long for their heads to blow out. As the seconds passed, I shot the robot's heads off, turning them into scrap metal. I didn't know how much longer we had left, but I could only hope it wasn't much. At the rate the robots were coming, I was going to run out of ammo.
After what felt like an eternity, I heard a sound echo throughout the speakers.
"You have defeated the alien army!" the voice said. "Great job, Space Cadets! Proceed to the winner's elevator for your reward!"
I smiled in triumph. We did it. We beat Vanny's game and won. I knew that Vanny had to be fuming at this point. We had bested her like it was nothing. Plus, deep down, I knew that she wasn't going to give us any reward. I had a feeling that she was going to kill one of us herself. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. In fact, after all the times she failed to kill us, it would be like her to do that.
"It is done," I said. "Now, you two find a way to Vanny's hideout. I will take care of her if she's on the way."
"You got it," they said at the same time. I stepped out of my spot and began looking around for any sign of Vanny.
"You stupid kid!" I heard a voice from me. I looked to see the rabbit coming at me with a knife. "You've ruined everything! Now, I'm going to kill you! Just like your sister!"
I felt something snap within me, my anger rising to an all-time high. She did NOT just say that! However, I knew deep down that she did. Oh, she had no idea that she just sealed her fate. She had no idea who she was messing with. I was going to end this fight in a matter of seconds.
She reaches me and prepares herself to strike. With everything I had, I spun and kicked her in the stomach as hard as I could. I watched as she was sent flying and crashed through one of the walls like they were styrofoam, the knife flying out of her hands. I ran at her and slammed right into her. She screamed before I began to let her have it. All the pain, the hatred, the rage. All of it. I gave her everything.
I punched her in multiple spots on her body. She grunted in pain as I did. I screamed in rage, pain, and grief as I continued punching her.
"You like ripping families apart?! Seeing them in pain for your own sadistic pleasure?!" I shouted as I continued. "This is how those families felt when you took their kids away! Took my sister away from me! You will pay dearly!"
I stopped punching her and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. With every ounce of strength, I threw her across the room. She broke through multiple walls, screaming as she did. I ran after her like a cheetah was chasing its prey.
I got to where she was and jumped on her. I grabbed her by the neck and readied my fist for the final blow.
"THIS IS FOR LISA AND EVERY FAMILY YOU'VE DESTROYED!" I screamed as I landed the blow. She hit the ground hard enough to leave a small crater. She stopped moving after.
I began breathing heavily as I did. I did it. I took down the very rabbit that has haunted my dreams. I grabbed the mask and took it off, revealing who it was. The familiar face and blond hair were all I needed to confirm my suspicions from earlier. It was Vanessa. She had been Vanny the entire time. I felt a wave of disgust wash over me. To think that this lady had been the culprit this whole time spoke volumes. Well, once this was over, she was going to get a nice visit from my father.
"Grab on, Mihael!" I heard Freddy call out from above before I saw a rope fall in front of me. I looked to see Freddy holding onto the rope.
I grabbed it and held on tightly. I felt myself being lifted to the catwalk. I looked down and saw the place become smaller as I got higher. I was grateful that I wasn't afraid of heights. If I was, I wouldn't have had the guts to do this right now.
I reached the top and climbed over the railing. I looked at Freddy and Gregory with a proud smile on my face.
"Well done, guys," I said. "Vanny has been defeated. We don't have to worry about her anymore."
"That's good to hear," Gregory said. "She's been a hazard since the beginning."
"Come," Freddy said. "Let's head to her hideout and find that game Roxanne and Lisa told us about."
I nodded and we began walking down the catwalk over to the small space just ahead. I felt myself becoming excited. This was it. The end of it. I never thought I would ever see the day when this damn nightmare would come to an end. Now that it was, it all felt like a dream. However, I knew deep down that what was happening right now was no dream.
We entered the room that was Vanny's hideout. The room matched the description Lisa gave when she was here. I looked ahead and saw the machine that we were looking for. The machine looked dirty, like it hadn't been cleaned in years. The title on the top read 'Princess Quest III'.
I walked over to it and rested my hands on the controls. I pushed the start button. It was time to end this. End the reign of Vanny and her evil master once and for all.
The princess groaned softly as her consciousness returned to her. She opened her eyes and found herself in a place that was foreign to her. She sat up and looked around. From the looks of it, the place looked to be some kind of strange room that had a desk filled with monitors and cabinets at the back wall.
"How did I get here?" she asked herself. She looked and saw a gold sword and her lantern lying next to her. She grabbed them and as if a switch had been flipped in her head. All of her memories came flooding back to her. "That's right! The old man somehow teleported me here. But why?"
She looked around and saw a note next to her. She picked it up and began to read the contents.
'To find what you seek, look for the mask and plushie that are hidden in this place. Head to the dining room down the hall. The doors to the left and right will lead you to where they are. Once you have them, go down the hallway where you will find a singular door next to a set of double doors where you will find a key that will take you to it. Good luck.'
She stared at the letter, confused and intrigued. She had no idea what the letter was talking about, but if she had any chance of getting out of this place, she would have to do what the letter told her to do.
The princess got back on her feet and exited the strange room. She surveyed her surroundings. The hallway looked strange as much as the room she was in. The walls looked dirty with wires strewn about. The floor beneath her was checkered-themed and of course, large holes filled the room. She went down the hallway and encountered a few of the creatures she had encountered a number of times. With all she had, she slayed the creatures that stood in her way. She continued down the hallway until she found a set of red double doors. She pushed them open and entered the room.
She looked around and was amazed. The room was medium-sized with a few tables decorated with a few party hats, two stages occupied the room with one at the far end of the room and one to the left. The floor was checkered-themed just like the hallway and on the left and right walls were two sets of double doors that possibly led to the items she sought. She decided that she would enter the room on the left. She walked over to the door and pushed it open.
She went inside and looked around. The room looked bare aside from a wooden wall that stood about a few feet away. This struck her as odd. Why would there be a wooden wall and nothing else? She shook her head and remained focused. She had to find the item that was here and get out of here.
She walked to the other end of the room and around the wooden wall that stood before her. She turned and continued until she saw an opening on the wall. She looked at it closely and saw two paths that went in different directions. It took her a moment to realize that the wall wasn't a wall. It was a maze.
"Maybe the item is somewhere in the maze," she said to herself. She entered the maze and began the search for what she sought.
Navigating the maze had proven to be difficult. Many of the paths she took led to dead ends. Some of the paths that did look promising led her nowhere. Sometimes it led her back to the start. It proved to be very frustrating, but she refused to give up. She knew that item had to be around here somewhere. This maze wouldn't have been here if that wasn't the case.
At last, her persistence paid off. The princess made a turn and went forward and found a chest at the far end of the room. A smile formed on her face as she walked over to it. She opened it and took out its contents. In her hand was a strange mask that looked like a bunny with red eyes and a creepy smile on its face.
"This must be the mask the letter mentioned," she said. "Something is not right with this thing. I better find the plushie and face whatever is keeping me trapped here."
With that, she placed the mask in her inventory, found her out of the maze and back to the room. She walked all the way to the other end of the room and pushed the next set of double doors open. She went inside and looked around. She found herself in a strange room filled with holes, pillars, and large conveyor belts on the floor going fast. She walked the belt, surprised by how fast it was going.
As she reached the end, she saw a hole at the end of the belt. She moved off of it and began navigating the room. It didn't take her long to realize that conveyor belts were everywhere. Some of them leading right to large holes that would spell her doom. The belts proved to be very difficult to walk on. Some of them moved so fast that she almost fell to her death. However, luck was on her side and she got off safely.
As she moved around a set of conveyor belts, she saw a torch on the other side of a chasm. She saw that the path was littered with them belts. She walked on them and began heading over to the torch. The belt leading to the torch was luckily not as fast as the ones she'd walked on. It took her a moment but she reached the end and made her way over to the torch. With her trusty lantern, she lit it up. As she turned around, she noticed that the belts were moving in a different direction. From the looks of it, they seemed to lead to a set of red double doors on the other side. Taking that chance, she hopped on and watched as the belts led her safely to the doors. She hopped off and walked over to the door.
Stepping inside, she found herself in a party room with two more conveyor belts, party tables and balloons filled the room, littering the dirty walls. One of the belts led to a purple torch that had a chest on the other side and the other leading a yellow torch. She looked around and saw a red torch nearby. She knew what she had to do.
She walked over to the torch, her lantern ready. Lighting it up, she saw her shadow appear. She moved to the other end of the room until she saw her shadow facing the purple torch. She lit up and saw that the one leading to the yellow torch had stopped. She walked over to it and lit it with her lantern. She saw the other belt moving in a different direction. Riding it, she made it to the chest. She walked over to it and opened it. She reached inside and took out its contents. In her hand was a strange green bunny plushie, one unfamiliar to her. The face didn't look anything like the one on the mask.
"This must be the plushie the letter mentioned," the princess said to herself. "There is something very wrong with this plushie. I should find the door the letter mentioned."
With that, she placed the plush in her inventory and ran back in the direction of the room. As she did, she noticed that all of the belts stopped moving. If she had to guess, they must've turned off after she retrieved the plushie. Whatever the case, she continued running and didn't stop running until she made it back to the party room. Once inside, she walked in the direction of the door she walked through at the beginning. Back in the hallway, she looked to her right and saw a single red door. Probably the one the letter mentioned.
She walked over to it and pushed it open. Once inside, she looked to see that she was in the tiniest room she had ever been in. She took notice of a chest next to her. The chest looked very strange. It was red and appeared to be glitchy. She walked over to it and used the items she found. They disappeared and the chest opened by itself. She reached in and retrieved the contents. Her face paled as she stared at the key that was clutched tightly in her hand. The key looked like the very same one she had retrieved from the very beginning. The one with the bunny head.
"This key…" she said slowly, her tone filled with horror. "How can this be? Is this the same key?" She got a hold of herself. "Now is not the time to lose focus. I have to find that thing and stop this once and for all."
With that, she walked out of the room and back into the party room once again. She looked around and her focus intensified at the stage at the far end of the room. From what she can see, there was a lock mechanism on it. She walked over to it and used the key. The lock clicked and it opened. She stepped inside and found herself in a dark hallway.
She began to navigate the dark hallway, killing more of those evil creatures as she did. She had enough. After all she's been through, she wasn't going to stand in terror and let the creature she saw in the beginning get her like it did las time. She was going to fight or die trying for her freedom.
She reached the end of the hallway and found herself in a strange room. At the far end of the room looked to be some kind of door. It was purple and glitchy, making it look unnatural. She approached it with every ounce of determination she had. She struck the door with the Sword of Light. The door opened… and she stepped inside.
"NOOOOOOOO!" came a distorted, evil voice.
I watched as an 'ERROR' appeared on screen. I smiled in triumph, removing my hands from the controls. I did it. I beat all of the 'Princess Quest' games and possibly freed the princess from her torment. As that realization came into full circle, a wave of relief washed over me. It was over. The nightmare was finally over. No more kids will disappear and no more families will be torn apart.
I felt tears trailing down my face. For over two years, this place had been nothing but a death trap and we all walked right into it, like moths to a flame. I could finally rest, knowing that the Mega Pizzaplex would no longer claim any more victims.
I turned to face Gregory, who was looking at me with a smile.
"It is done," I said. Gregory ran over to me and hugged me very tightly. I proceeded to return the kind gesture. "There is nothing for us to be scared of anymore."
"I'm happy," Gregory said. "I can't believe it's all over."
"Same here," I said. I turned my attention to Freddy, who had been standing in the doorway the entire time. "What time is it, Freddy?"
There was a moment of silence before a smile formed on his face. That smile was all the evidence I needed to know that we had made it just in time.
"It is 5:53 AM," he said proudly. "We did it."
"We sure did," I said. I turned my attention back to the kid who was still hugging me. "Gregory, let's get out of here."
Gregory looked at me, nodded, and let go of me.
"I guess when we get to the main doors, it will be our chance to say goodbye and end this alliance," Gregory said. I nodded. "Thank you… for everything, Mihael. We probably wouldn't have-"
I raised a hand to stop him. A look of confusion formed on his face in response.
"We didn't make it through this because of me solely," I said. "We made it through this nightmare because we worked together, despite the odds. You, Gregory, are a hero. You did something no other kid wouldn't have the courage to do what you did. For that, I am very proud of you."
Gregory smiled. My smile grew a little. Despite everything, I was going to miss him. After all we've been through, we became close. Like brothers. A brother I always wanted.
"Come on, boys," Freddy said. "Let's get out of here."
We nodded and began to walk out of the attraction, just grateful to make it out alive. While Lisa didn't make it, she could rest in peace, knowing that we had finished this terrible night saving the animatronics and the Pizzaplex from no longer being a death trap.
I felt a huge wave of exhaustion wash over me, making me stop in my tracks. I tried my best to keep myself on my feet, but I felt all of my strength leaving me. After all we'd been through, along with the fact that I had been up for a mass majority of the night, it was no wonder that utter exhaustion would hit me.
I found myself leaning over the railing and falling off of the catwalk. I heard Freddy and Gregory scream my name as I fell. I felt the air strike me as I fell. I wondered if I was going to die after all I had been through.
I felt the back of my head hit something hard, creating a loud bang. And again. And again. Until I hit the back of my head on the floor at full force. I felt myself slowly losing consciousness as I heard my name being called again from above the catwalk.
I weakly turned my head to the left and saw that little girl from earlier, the one that led me to the secret room where the missing kids were. She was standing about a few feet away from me. Her mouth was moving like she was talking, but I couldn't make out what was being said.
Everything went black…
Author's Note:
This is it! The ending of the events of Security Breach! :D
What a crazy ride this has been. Now don't worry, this is not the end of the story. There are only 4 chapters left and the story is complete. What a crazy year this has been for Robotic Night. We will see the events that led to Mihael moving out of the family home and into the house he was living in at the beginning of Book 1. Also, any continuity errors in Book 1 will be fixed in the future so keep an eye on that.
That's all for now. Keep an eye for the last 4 chapters. Constructive criticism is appreciated and I will see you guys in the end! :)