A thousand apologies for not having updated for over a month, I was busy dealing with non-fanfic issues and lacked the free time to write to the same degree that I had enjoyed previously.
Also this chapter was going through multiple rewrites as I've got several ideas in mind for the future and I wanted to give them a stable start in this chapter, so that took some effort to get right.
There should be another chapter in the next few days, it's fairly short in comparison to the others.
There is a song in this chapter and it relates directly to the story, it's You Can't Escape Me by ChaoticCanineCulture, all credit goes to them.
Also RichardIII1955, thanks for your review, your feedback was very helpful. ;-)
Enjoy...
Chapter 26.
A Hollow Victory.
"What's a victory, when its hollow."
Keshia Chante.
Five dark shifting shadows flowed across the blue carpet like a thunderstorm covering up the sky as Nightmares Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy, all followed Nightmare Fredbear into the dark.
After receiving Nightmarione's 'loving touch' to their wounds and having discussed recent events with the other Nightmares, Nightmare Fredbear had insisted on taking them to one side for a 'private conversation'.
His broad shoulders rocked back and forth as he walked, kind of like a bear when prowling in the wild with his hair swaging from to side to side in sync with the rest of his body as his tattered golden suit ruffled whenever he stepped forward. His scarlet red eyes swept the area before him like a searchlight, he could easily see in the dark as one can see in the daytime, it was a trait which all Nightmares possessed.
In this environment there was no obstacles to his array of abilities.
He was like the leader of a wolf pack with the others following on behind like submissive servants, edger to hear what he had to say.
They walked like that in silence for what seemed like ages, passing numerous boarded up rooms and wandering through various murky hallways, until at last they reached the far end of the house…all the way back to the front door. Only then did Nightmare Fredbear turn round to face them, and his mannerism set the posture of an alpha dog.
"Now that we've reconvened…do tell me," he remarked smoothly.
"Was it simply due to your blind ignorance that you were almost killed?"
Immediately all Nightmares looked away or down at the floor, their collective expression were one of unease and concern.
"Well to be completely honest…" Nightmare Chica began, gesturing with her claws. "It was more due to a set of unfortunate circumstances, we were not expecting the Originals to turn up."
Then she remembered something, her eyes narrowed as she stared back at the Nightmare. "Speaking of which, where were you when we were attacking the Toys, because apparently according to Vincent, you were with him in the office when the Originals turned up?"
"Yeah, now that you mention it, it seems odd that they were able to survive encountering you if they made their way down to us?" Nightmare Foxy enquired, brandishing his hook.
"Yes, I was on their tail, but Springtrap caught my attention and so I decided to take him out first," Nightmare Fredbear replied, somewhat quietly, properly because he was embarrassed.
"So your decision to ignore them is the real reason why they turned up so quickly," Nightmare Bonnie remarked in an accusing manner with eyes to match. "Maybe this isn't our fault after all."
"But you thought that you could take them on?" came Nightmare Fredbear's disapproving tone.
"We thought we could dispose of the Toys before they got there," Nightmare Bonnie burtly remarked, brushing her hair back over her shoulders. "Obviously looking back, we took too long with that task." She then glanced at Nightmare Freddy.
"And it isn't the first time we've done that..."
The Nightmare in question returned her gaze with a cold look of his own making, replying rather sharply.
"Have you ever considering taking the reins then N-Bonnie, I can't control time and space as much as I would like too."
"In fairness N-Fredbear, they may not admit it straight away but I will," Nightmare Foxy said, holding up his hands as a form of surrender.
"We simply got carried away with the sensenation that we are technically gods, can never really die and are therefore invincible."
"So in the end you were too slow, got distract by gloating and allowed your goal to slip away from you?" Nightmare Fredbear inquired, bringing the Foxy lookalike under his full gaze.
Nightmare Foxy slowly nodded in confirmation, making the elder Nightmare stroke his chin as he pondered on what he was going to say next.
In the end, all he said was...
"Time to test that statement."
And then he vanished into thin air.
Yet Nightmare Foxy instantly sensed where this was going, his eyes widen with anticipation as a deep loud laugh rippled through the air, it was Nightmare Fredbear's signature chuckle.
He spun round on the spot…only to get punched straight in the chest, knocking him backwards as the elder Nightmare delivered what would otherwise be a killing blow. Nightmare Foxy felt his back slam into the nearby wall with a loud thud, internally he growled with immense dissatisfaction at being caught off guard.
With barred fangs he launched himself at the Nightmare, going at lighting speed like a wolf with his claw and hooks out stretched. However Nightmare Fredbear merely teleported away before him, reappearing on his flank and shoved him hard in the side, knocking the Nightmare to floor.
"More brawn than brain, you've gotten lazy Nightmare Foxy," he remarked plainly.
Luckily the other Nightmares leapt to their comrade's defense before Nightmare Fredbear could advance any further. "Now things get interesting," he muttered, putting up a defensive pose.
Nightmare Chica was the first to reach him, bringing all of her strength to bear on him as her claws craved deep wounds into his skin only for them to turn red as they started to bleed. Yet she kept on going with her attack, slashing and thrashing all the way, yet it never occurred to her that Nightmare Fredbear wasn't actually fighting back. With being so long since they last squared off against each other, Nightmare Fredbear wanted to see her fighting style and then use it against her.
And she had just wandered right into his trap, although with Nightmares Bonnie and Freddy quickly closing in he needed to throw her off. She brought her blood-soaked claws to strike again, her face was framed into a crooked smile.
"I have more brain than brawn," she smirked proudly, slashing forward once more. However, Nightmare Fredbear swiftly caught both her claws by the wrists with his own.
"Your problem N-Chica is that you gloat too much, less words and more action next time."
Then Nightmare Bonnie made her entrance, having leapt into the air and coming down on Nightmare Fredbear like a hawk.
"It might just cost you your life," he stated bluntly.
He then twisted Nightmare Chica's wrists back and spun her around on spot and shoved her forward, straight into the path of the incoming Nightmare Bonnie who could do little to change her current course.
Inevitably they collided with each other with Nightmare Bonnie knocking her nightmare counterpart to the floor, but the former was quick to recover, rising to the challenge. Her claws clashed with Nightmare Fredbear as the two fought a sparring match, she was very good in close quarters with her agility.
Yet again once he caught into her fighting style, Nightmare Fredbear brought his full strength to bear, increasing the pressure on her as his fighting skills began to outmatch hers.
"Mmmh, I'm impressed with N-Bonnie, your actually trying to beat me," he sneered, although it was genuinely a compliant. "I'm no quitter!" she snarled as her claws interlocked with his, becoming a contest of strength.
"Well there's no doubt about that my dear," Nightmare Fredbear replied flatteringly as he dug his feet in to maintain a strong foothold. Then suddenly something leapt out of the dark and latched itself onto Nightmare Fredbear's ear. . .Nightmare Chica's cupcake.
In fairness she rarely used it nowadays, being confident in herself to deal with whatever threat came her way, unless it was something which she couldn't handle alone. In the old days, she and her cupcake were like partners in crime, always together and never apart. With its beady orange eyes and jagged array of sharp teeth, it could really bite and sink in deep. Nightmare Fredbear grunted in response as pain surged from his left ear, he had to admit that he had forgotten about its existence over the years.
And then Nightmare Chica herself reappeared, launching herself into the air and landing firmly on Nightmare Fredbear's back, digging her claws into him like a set of blades. However, the Nightmare had remembered such a move being performed by Foxy, so he was well rehearsed in dealing with it. Not to mention that he carried a high tolerance for pain, hell he put up with a barrage of gunfire from the Fazbears, this child's play of a fight could never compete with it.
Then Nightmare Foxy charged in from the side, having recovered his strength, plunging his hook into the Nightmare's lower abdomen. Nightmare Fredbear gritted his teeth in response to the pain, but he shrugged it off, he could take the hit. With all three nightmares attacking him outright in a crazed attempt to prove themselves worthy, he noted that Nightmare Freddy was just standing a fair distance away…watching.
Normally you would expect him to look smug and confident in his position, but instead his expression was completely blank. He quickly raised his arm like one holding a gun, aiming it straight at the Nightmare as he summoned all of his strength and started to throw his companions off. A single Freddy Head leapt out from inside his sleeve, flying through the air like a serpent with its jaw wide open, revealing an array of sharp teeth.
Yet it never reached Nightmare Fredbear as the Nightmare merely pulled off his oldest trick and teleported away, leaving the other three without anyone to attack. Nightmare Bonnie ducked in time as the Freddy Head flew over her, still in attack mode as it hadn't registered Nightmare Fredbear's disappearance.
And it happened to fly right into Nightmare Chica's mouth and in her panic she swallowed it whole, but it soon became stuck in her windpipe. She began to choke, grasping her throat with her claws as she started to retch. Her cupcake was unsure of what to do, just looking at its owner with a look of confusion and dread.
Nightmare Foxy spun around, doing a full circle as he looked around for Nightmare Fredbear, the man liked to surprise people with sudden appearances. A loud, confident, deep laugh erupted into being as it echoed off the surrounding walls and being the one with the sharpest hearing, Nightmare Foxy turned to its point of origins, Nightmare Freddy followed his gaze.
Empty space. . .there was nothing but a blank grey wall.
"Then where is-"
Then Nightmare Foxy spotted something in the corner of his vision, but it was too late to say anything. Nightmare Freddy found himself being smacked forward, temporary flying in the air until gravity took over and brought him down to the floor. Luckily, he quickly adjusted and landed on two feet before rapidly turning round to face the intruder who was of course Nightmare Fredbear. "You not so alert as expected N-Freddy, maybe you need to be demoted to backup instead," the Nightmare remarked slyly, knowing what kind of reaction he would unleash.
And just to salt the wound a little to make sure...
"Fancy being Nightmarrione's 'little helper'?"
And he got just what he wanted…
Slash after slash came along with wild uncontrolled swipes, kicks and bites as Nightmare Freddy unleashed complete hell on his senior, trying to outmaneuver him or to break his defense to the point of submunition. Yet Nightmare Fredbear wouldn't give him any ground, although he was glad that Nightmare Freddy was putting in so much effort.
Insult his pride and you get your just deserts.
"Ha, haa, now finally you show some strength when your forced on the spot," Nightmare Fredbear gloated in grim satisfaction as the young Nightmare continued his relentless onslaught.
"I WILL NOT GO ON NIGHTMARROINE'S TEAM!" Nightmare Freddy yelled, feeling very enraged, delivering a swipe which could have scratched out Nightmare Fredbear's eyes out had he not blocked it.
"I will not play the role of babysitter," he hissed as anger blazed in his eyes like lava, which only served to make Nightmare Fredbear chuckle.
"Keep it up and you won't be."
Nightmare Foxy eyed the conflict and began to stalk around the edges trying to find a way in so he could strike a devastating blow. Meanwhile Nightmare Bonnie was trying to remove the Freddy Head for Nightmare Chica's throat by means of the smacking her on the back, but it only made the situation worse as the Freddy Head became more logged in her windpipe.
"Keep still I'm trying to help you God dammit," Nightmare Bonnie hissed, trying to control Nightmare Chica as she gasped and choked, struggling to breathe properly.
"Do you want my help or not?"
"GAAA, RAAA, HARRRRR!" was all that could be made out of Nightmare Chica's garble speak.
All the while Nightmare Freddy constantly fought Nightmare Fredbear to a near standstill, with Nightmare Foxy watching from the sidelines for an opening.
"If your able to be this good N-Freddy…"
Nightmare Fredbear sidestepped Nightmare Freddy to deliver what would be a crippling kick to the back of the knee, although the Nightmare stumbled he didn't fall. "Then how is it that you lost to someone like Freddy Fazbear?"
He teleported away as Nightmare Freddy came round to give him a slash only to slice through thin air. "I could ask you the very same thing," he replied, looking about for any signs of him.
"True, but as Freddy's counter opposite I am asking you," Nightmare Fredbear asked as he reappeared behind Nightmare Freddy.
Yet he was prepared unlike last time as he swung round to face, just catching the Nightmare's claws with his own. It was then that Nightmare Foxy struck with precise timing, hitting Nightmare Fredbear right in the side. Yet it was merely a feint, a trick to make the Nightmare believe that this was his main attack as he dived his hook into the back of his o3pponent…that was the actual attack. It brought a growl of irritation from Nightmare Fredbear as with his one free hand, he attempted to whack Nightmare Foxy away.
Seeing an opportunity Nightmare Freddy launched a Freddy Head out of his suit collar as it burst from its holdings, having pushed itself out of his skin first.
However, Nightmare Fredbear easily caught the thing in his teeth, trapping it, before biting down hard. The Freddy Head squealed in immense pain as it thrashed about to break free, but it changed nothing…other than setting Nightmare Freddy ablaze with anger as he threw himself at Nightmare Fredbear.
"LET HIM GO!" He growled, not holding back for a second, thrashing and slashing at his opponent.
Nightmare Fredbear's scarlet red eyes displayed a deep sense of satisfaction as the Nightmare unloaded his anger on him. Meanwhile Nightmare Bonnie was trying to help Nightmare Chica dislodge a Freddy Head which had become stuck in her throat. After countlessly trying to make Nightmare Chica cough the thing up, Nightmare Bonnie by now at her wits end took drastic action.
She forced her hand into the Nightmare's throat and grabbed hold of the Freddy Head's spinal tail with some difficulty. She then pulled it right out, releasing it from the trap it had got itself into. With air flowing back into her lungs, Nightmare Chica collapsed to the floor, feeling rather breathless.
Nightmare Bonnie threw the now freed Freddy Head away, turning back to check on Nightmare Chica.
"Thank…you. . .N-Bonnie," she gasped, letting her breathing relax as she lay on the floor, clearly not in any shape to act.
"Just remember, you now owe me," Nightmare Bonnie replied, now turning round to observe the fight taking place between Nightmares Freddy, Foxy and Fredbear.
"Sure, sure…I don't mind," Nightmare Chica softly groaned, rolling over onto her back, becoming somewhat oblivious to what was going on nearby.
"YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I LOST TO FREDDY, HOW THAT SON OF A BITCH WAS ABLE TO BEAT ME!" Nightmare Freddy yelled in a fit of rage as he brought attack after attack against Nightmare Fredbear, but he was like a giant, he wouldn't go down.
"I'm all ears," he remarked back in a tone of pure amusement. "I underestimated him from the start," Nightmare Freddy stated, interlocking his claws with the Nightmare as a way to hold him in place.
"Very good," Nightmare Fredbear replied, sounding very satisfied. Then out of nowhere, but at the same time not the least surprising Nightmare Bonnie rushed in, head ramming Nightmare Fredbear right in the stomach.
That sent him stumbling backwards.
"Not so tough when we all gang up on you!" Nightmare Foxy sneered as he jabbed the Nightmare in the leg with his hook.
That brought a grunt of immense disapproval from the Nightmare as he kicked Nightmare Bonnie in the stomach, giving her a taste of her own medicine which forced her back.
He then smacked Nightmare Foxy away with a swipe of his claws, threatening to elbow him should he attempt to come any closer. He was seemly focused on breaking Nightmare Freddy who was pouring all of his strength into beating his mentor to a standstill. And all the while Nightmare Chica lay on the floor, somewhat out of it, as her cupcake kept on nudging her, trying to get something out its owner but to no avail.
"Is there nothing better than simply breathing?" she asked dreamily, as her orangey yellow eyes flickered over to the cupcake, who just continued to nudge her, trying to snap the Nightmare out of her dream like state.
"What do you think?" she asked again, to which the cupcake only rolled its eyes in response, before tipping its head in the direction of the fight.
Yet Nightmare Chica only brought her eyes to the ceiling, or what was the ceiling as it completely shrouded in darkness. She reached out for it with her claws, stretching out into the dark maw that stared back at her with its unseen eyes. She could hear the others fighting nearby, but her attention was solely focused on other things, after it wasn't a real fight, Nightmare Fredbear was only trying to make a point, he would never actually kill them.
After all…they were family...a fucked up one, but still a family.
Her gaze now turned to that of her claws, studying them with an interest as if they were something new. Starting from the wrist down, you would have what you could call a normal human hand, soft and white. However, from the knuckles onward the hand changed, becoming more skeletal and boney, the ends of the fingers weren't nails, but rather sharp jagged pieces of bone.
Hence it was so easy to rip a man's throat wide open, these things were practically kitchen knives, all ten of them. She ran them across her face, with the expectation of her teeth and eyes, it was 'normal', smooth and milky, a little puffy on the cheeks, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Her ears certainly had nothing wrong with them and her sense of hearing was fine, in fact it was better than most, although Nightmare Foxy's hearing was far superior to hers. Bright blonde was the best way to describe her hair colour, obviously it was dirty and untidy, but it was a part of her identity. Her nose was normal, a bit short perhaps, but after seeing that Chica had the same nose type, it made sense, they were mirror images after all.
Her bodily frame was slim and a little round, despite her dress making it look otherwise. The opposite could be said for her breasts, at times it felt like they were being squeezed inside this thing. Not that she was fashion consciousness, but it wasn't something which sat heavily on her mind.
There came the sounds of someone being smashed against the wall…properly Nightmare Bonnie judging by the sounds of the groans. The cupcake nudged her again to get her attention, but the Nightmare didn't move a muscle, returning her gaze to the ceiling. She tried to remember being born, technically she had two births, the first having occurred in this place and the second on Earth.
Her memories about her first days were hazy and foggy, she wasn't even in Limbo for the first five or six days, but locked inside the broken mind of a traumatised child.
She tried to recall in detail those days, but all that she could drag out of her subconscious were several moments.
The very first thing she could remember was laughter, the cold and cruel laugh of a boy, mean and brutal.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
It kept on going becoming a never-ending loop.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
Again and again it went round.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
Forevermore.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
Then something changed.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
The voice's tone flickered briefly for a second going deep on one of the notes.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
Before resetting.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
The voice offered no love or comfort, it was just someone verbally beating someone else repeatedly.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
And then it changed again, only this time the change lasted for longer.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
The voice was beginning to change, morphing from the high, smooth, mean spirited laugh of a young boy to the deep, broken, sadistic laugh of a demonic being.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
The laughter became louder and sinister with each reoccurrence.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
It was embracing, dominant above anything else in the dark recess of the child's traumatized mind.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
And then a new development began to make itself known.
The laugh started to adopt a more feminine tone, turning into something of a gloat.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
It continued, becoming mischievous in its expression, a cruel delight in pain and suffering, but perhaps with an undertone desire for being dominant.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
Soon madness settled in, becoming hysterical and deafening.
The laugh echoed throughout the mind, its attachment to the original owner who had helped to drive the dagger of fear into the poor boy's heart only further rattled his fear induced mind to the brink.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
Something was taking shape behind the laughter, morphing into the ideal owner of the now demonic female laugh, as layer after layer was laid down.
Its sole purpose was to be terrifying both physically and psychologically.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
Shifting about in the dark, as each laugh brought in a new wave of detail to the being as the child's psychological reimagining of his bully festered into the extreme.
It was literal nightmare fuel.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."
What was once hands being now claws, what were once teeth were now fangs and finally what was once human, was now a manifestation of humanity's collective evil. What was once a male had now become female, perhaps the face mask's femininity had come to play a part in its creation, but she had no belonging to the term 'the gentle sex'.
Two fiery orange yellow pupils burn out of the darkness like stars, revealing a tangled web of blonde hair and a nasty array of sharp teeth which could easily be mistaken for fangs. In the thrill of being alive she let out a confidence exotic laugh of delight for she was burden with a glorious purpose.
Scaring the shit out a little kid.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"
Then a strange sensation came over her, the feeling of being trapped, encased, surrounded.
Which gave way to her second memory. . .
This memory vivid, but still foggy, she remembered struggling to burst out of something, something large, soft and fluffy…like a toy, a big one.
Like a baby driven by an instinctual desire to be free, eating its way out of its mother's womb, like a chest bruster for the iconic Alien Films. Another memory was of her peeking out from behind a corner with her cupcake, both looking down a hallway and spying out a door which was slightly ajar. Out of it shined a bright light, a torch light to be specific, blasting all the way down the hall and binding her, forcing her to withdraw behind the corner with her cupcake in tow.
The one after that was her standing outside a door, properly the same one, breathing deeply as if in she was anticipating something. The door itself was still ajar with some lighting peeking out through the gap, but then a pair of light blue eyes appeared, taking up the space.
Suddenly the door was slammed shut on her and with the only entrance point closed off, she turned round and headed back down the hallway, feeling frustrated at her failure to gain entry as she shook her head with disappointment. And that was it for her early days, back before she became sentiment so to put it.
Her second birth was different, and this time she was fully aware for most of it. A massive tunnel of bright white light, which she rode down as she attached herself to the poor unfortunate person who was chosen as her host to anchor her to the physical realm. There was screaming, painful yelling coming from an unknown woman as the tunnel became brighter, until finally it ended.
The light faded away to be replaced by blackness, but the sounds didn't stop. Grandly her vision returned to her, still murky and foggy, but a few things about her new surroundings stood out.
It was all metallic in a sliver colour and held a reflective edge to it.
There was a fairly bright yellowish light being shone above her, exposing her to this new world. In fact, judging by the level of light within her field of vision everything else around her was mostly hidden away in darkness. Her wearily eyes slowly turned from left to right, on the latter was another figure immediately to the side of her, wearing reddish ragged clothing.
Properly Nightmare Foxy if she remembered correctly, although as detailed as things were in her mind's eye nothing could be taken at face value.
And he did look quite dazed and unsure of his surroundings. . .this wasn't Limbo anymore.
On the former, that being the left was. . .something. . .or rather somethings, it wasn't clear, anything beyond her personal space appeared blurry and unfocused, colours blending into each other or her mind made them up to help make sense of things.
But there was something there, she could just make it out, reflective metal. . .shinny.
She remembered turning back to face her front which was no better, there was something at the far end of the room, a black rectangle like shape situated on the wall. However, that only held her attention for a second, before something else took it away entirely. Voices, two exactly both speaking to one another in close proximity, whenever one said something, the other would quickly reply.
"Amazing, they're exactly here in the psychical world, I have to say, I am very impressive," the first voice said, sounding very pleased and blown away.
"I do share your amazement, this was the first attempt and it succeeded without any flaws," the second one voice replied with an undertone of satisfaction, yet it stated as if what it knew was actual fact. "So now they need to go into long term hibernation right, I'll apply a strong dose of barbiturate that'll put them into a controlled coma until the time is right," the first voice stated firmly with the sound of it walking away.
Yet the second voice, now clearly sounding deep and authoritative made the owner of the first voice stop.
"There's no need for drugs, I'll administer the process myself, it's more controlled that way and without the risks, if done wrong then barbiturate can be extremely lethal to the human body."
Then a third unrecognizable voice entered the discussion.
"Master. . .the results are in, the machine preformed almost brilliantly, the procedure has succeeded but a few minor faults did develop during the process."
A slave perhaps?
It sounded so plain and neutral.
"Can you fix them?" the second voice calmly asked, although one could sense an undertone of urgency. The third voice returned with the same tone, but Nightmare Chica could swear that there was an undertone of concern.
"Yes, luckily, they were all in isolation of each other, if not then who knows what could have occurred-"
Then the first voice jumped in, cutting the third one off in mid sentence.
"See to it and make notes, this cannot happen again, minor or not, any fault could be fatal to a machine this complex…it took us a whole week to set it up right."
A complex machine. . ?
"Still we have succeeded, you should be proud, I think I am right in saying this, but what we have witnessed was the first of its kind in history. . .if you stretch the term."
First of its kind?
"Yes, it is an achievement on a worthy scale, but still. . ."
There was a pause. . .hesitation perhaps?
"Whilst there's no doubting what we've achieved on a technical level, this machine is clearly state of the art being the first of its kind…there are just certain…design choices for this machine as well as the original model which I don't fully understand."
Original model for what?
"Can you now shed some light on those, you've done the research and oversaw the changes made to the design plan?"
Best guess, the owner of the first voice was properly facing the owner of the second, who replied in a calm and statesmen like tone. "It can give life, transfer souls, it can open portals, consider it to be a mini interdimensional gateway to the realm of the dead."
A sense of ambition ran through its voice with the next set of words. "And perhaps if we were to tinker with it some more, let say. . .travel to infinite dimensions if it were to be possible."
And then the next few sentences made no sense, no matter how hard she tired to place them. "Like that religious ink covered zealot said, sometimes you just have to believe."
"He was very irritating to say the least, but I'll give the plans back once you have made a copy of them, he'll never know that it left his study."
"Although I am quite surprised that it didn't dawned on anyone to investigate the studio after it suddenly went quiet."
"The very same could said of Fazbear's," the first voice replied with a strong sense of irony.
"Very true, well said," the second remarked, although without a humorous tone. "However, we have built upon their failures and turned their dreams into successes with some major modifications, but still in principle it is the same idea."
"Now we need to get them to the location," the first one stated with a sense of direction and purpose, only for the second one to reply with. "Location, if I were you I would hide them in separate places, should they ever be discovered then you will be on your own."
The way the first voice responded indicated that they felt an insult to their pride.
"I can hide them well beyond the sight of any prying eyes, no one will return to the new location. Fazbear Entertainment is done with the Toy Pizzeria, we've just moved back to the old location and took everything with us, it is completely empty now." Then the third voice who had remained silent so far made a return. "Master if I may interject, the Nightmares will need some time to regain their memories upon waking up, perhaps moving them about to different locations, one for each should lower the risk of them getting discovered."
And then it made a superb point of logic. "Imagine the bloodbath that would come should someone accidentally discover them." There was a sigh, as if the first voice was accepting their line of argument.
"Ok, we'll cross that bridge when it comes."
And now it appeared to have turned back towards the owner of the second voice.
"Still, these Nightmare friends of yours better be worth all the effort I've thrown into this. . .'deal'."
"Trust me Vincent, they are worth it."
After that…was nothing but blackness, pure, sweet, embracing blackness.
Yet by now she knew who the voices' owners were, making her smile. The third one however remained a complete mystery to her.
Still…sometimes it was nice to think back.
A fifth nudge from her cupcake finally caught the Nightmare's attention. "What!" she snapped, turning to glance at it.
The cupcake tilted its head towards the still ongoing fight. Nightmare Chica's eyes went from hostile to shock and then realisation.
"Oh right, the fight!"
She quickly pushed herself upwards off the floor and soon back on her feet.
Holding out her claw, the cupcake grinned with excitement, taking the invite as it jumped on. Racing forward with her feet stomping the ground, the Nightmare went into all-out battle mode. Nightmare Fredbear was currently occupied trying to shake off Nightmare Foxy who was on his back, his favorite place to attack apparently; Nightmare Bonnie was attacking from the side and Nightmare Freddy was locked into duel with him, trying desperately hard not to end up on the backfoot.
Nightmare Chica had the opportunity to do damage and she grasped it with both hands, leaping high into the air. "SURPRISE MOTHER FUCKER!" she snarled in her excitement as the adrenaline kicked in.
SMACK!
Her collision with the Nightmare knocked him backwards, as his hands went flew up in the air in surprise, Nightmare Freddy took the chance to kick him in the stomach whilst Nightmare Bonnie whacked him in the back of the knee to further undermine his footing.
Nightmare Foxy jumped off his attack, not wishing to be crushed when he eventually contacted with the floor. The Freddy Head which had been caught in Nightmare Fredbear's jaws, burst free from its holdings and dived to the floor for safety. Nightmare Fredbear came crashing down, falling onto the floor with a heavy thud, the other Nightmares took the opportunity to assert their dominance over him in a somewhat unusual manner.
Nightmare Chica sat on his left arm, pinning in place, with Nightmare Foxy doing the same for the other hand. Nightmare Bonnie saddled Nightmare Fredbears between his legs, keeping the lower half of their body immobile. All the while Nightmare Freddy stood on his chest, leaning over like the victor, smiling with grim satisfaction.
"Thus the student becomes the master," he stated victoriously, his smile matching that of the others.
He clicked his fingers and the lone Freddy Head slithered back inside his suit to rejoin its brethren.
"We win…"
Nightmare Fredbear just sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Typical, your declaring victory before you've even won, I'm seeing now why they beat you four so easily." No sooner had he said it a foot came down, crushing his face into the floor to shut him up. "As I was saying," Nightmare Freddy stressed, drowning his groans out.
"Together we are quite effective, so yes, we need to be more of a team, break them down, bit by bit."
"I do wonder if your mindset would change if you lost the ability to return here, for should your host die then the threat of death might make you fight better if there's something at stake?" Nightmare Fredbear asked out aloud, voicing his inner thoughts. "Oh, but there is something at stake N-Fredbear and we all know it, death remains a possibility for us, as remote as it is currently," Nightmare Foxy injected, leaning into his field of vision.
"So why are you taking your sweet time then, don't you want to remove the possibility of death completely," Nightmare Fredbear replied plainly, turning to face the Nightmare directly.
"Don't you want to be free, don't you wish to live, instead of being chained to that boy like a wolf is to a sheep." Nightmare Foxy slowly nodded his head from side to side, trying to come up with an answer. "Of course, I do, but I want to have as much fun as possible while doing it," he replied honestly, continuing with. "The Fazbears are in the dark, they can kill us as many times as they want, but we will always come back."
"Although I like the idea of attacking them through their dreams, so much easier and we hold a monopoly on it," Nightmare Bonnie added, being obscured by Nightmare Freddy.
"Hey, that's a good idea N-Bonnie, far more entertaining then what we just did," Nightmare Chica remarked cheerfully, jumping in.
"We shall honor our agreement with Vincent, it was a heartfelt promise to aid one another." Her words made Nightmare Fredbear turn to face her with a look of interest. "So why are you four taking your sweet time then, dragging your heels instead of getting on with it?"
She responded with this statement.
"Well after being stuck in this mausoleum of a house for four boring years and then kept in hibernation for the last thirty, we got overly excited with being alive and wished to drag things out for maximum satisfaction."
"And has this 'sensational' overdose for life gone away?" Nightmare Fredbear inquired amusedly, eyeing Nightmare Chica.
There was a slight pause before anyone else spoke.
"Yes, after that brush with death I certainly feel more cautious, reality has made itself known to me," Nightmare Bonnie stated, effectively surmising what everyone thought.
"So, you all agree to be more level headed then?" Nightmare Fredbear asked, looking from one Nightmare to the next, reading their expressions.
"Yes…" was the collective response. "Well I guess that concludes today's training session," the senior Nightmare remarked coolly.
He then turned to face Nightmare Chica again. "Yet there is always room for improvement."
He smiled mischievously.
"Surprise…"
Then he vanished from sight within the blink of an eye.
The four Nightmares were now clutching at empty space where there was once a person, all eyes darted in various directions to find the Nightmare before he could get the drop on them again. He was nowhere to be seen, but he certainly got the drop on them.
A huge force slammed into them from above, crushing them all into the floor and pinning them down with its immense weight. Nightmare Fredbear lazily stretched his muscles as he lay on top of the four, who were completely trapped underneath him.
"Now that..." he began.
"Is what I call a 'crushing' victory."
"GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" Nightmare Bonnie yelled in immense frustration, trying to lift him up, but to no vain. "FOR CHRIST SAKE GET UP N-FREDBEAR!" Nightmare Chica screamed, trying to crawl her way out from underneath him.
Nightmare Fredbear stretched some more, putting even more weight on them, he could feel Nightmare Foxy's partial free hook hand repeatedly hit the floor in a desperate attempt to find something to grab onto. "WHAT EXACTLY IS YOUR POINT BY DOING THIS?" Nightmare Freddy asked, trying to crawl free, but he could only get so far.
Nightmare Fredbear sighed joyfully and before answering with.
"It's a way to break your ego, I'm not even fighting back and you're still finding it to be a struggle."
He smirked, enjoying every second of the moment.
"Imagine if the Halloween gang saw you four like this, now that'll be a laugh."
"NO IT BLOODY WON'T!" Nightmare Foxy screamed, smacking the elder Nightmare in the back, but Nightmare Fredbear didn't move a muscle.
Instead he yawned, stretching himself some more.
Then he felt something new, he was slowly being lifted up by the other four as they all combined their respective strengths to push upwards. And they made good headway with their back and shoulder muscles screaming out for relief from the immense burden that they carried.
"FOUR IS STRONGER THAN ONE!" Nightmare Chica screamed, venting her pain and stress.
Being lifted up like a royal emperor of sorts was actually an enjoyment for Nightmare Fredbear, he could get use to this. Hell, they could carry him around the house in this fashion by crawling on the floor. However, he couldn't let this rebellion last, so he relaxed completely and in doing so, brought his full weight to bear.
Which soon proved to be too much for the four Nightmares to cope with as they collapsed under his weight, being crushed to the floor and left panting for breath.
"It depends on how well the 'four' cooperate between one another to defeat the 'one', numbers don't mean everything these days," Nightmare Fredbear proudly remarked. In the amidst of things, Nightmare Chica's cupcake had succeeded in becoming free, the Freddy Heads however, did not dare leave the safety of their master's body.
Upon seeing the cupcake, standing there all confused and aghast, Nightmare Fredbear extended his claw out to it, enabling it to hop on. He then brought it to him, eye to eye, scarlet red staring back into yellowish orange. "Should we keep them down there until they've learnt how to listen properly?" He asked softly.
The cupcake remained still for a moment, before nodding in approval, making the Nightmare smile in both agreement and amusement.
"My thoughts exactly…"
Flash back…
Darkness…just darkness…just plain, dull and unresponsive darkness.
That was all Goldie could see, apart from the mental image of Vincent glaring down at him which had become ingrained into his psyche.
Slowly the darkness faded away…or it died down in its intensity as Goldie was introduced to new surroundings, although they were not comforting.
The first thing he noticed was that he was now in some sort of bedroom.
Now this was strange…until he noticed some of the room's content and then it all made sense.
There were toys scattered around on the floor, some clothes hanging loosely from a chest of drawers with a purple colored operational fan on top.
Before Goldie lay an empty bed with a digital clock on one of the bedside tables with a switched off radio on the other.
Looking both left and right he noticed that there two doors one for either side.
That seemed odd for a child's bedroom…shouldn't there be one door per room?
Finally turning round he noticed the closed closet built into the wall...there was something about it Goldie didn't like, maybe it was because it appeared to tower over him, becoming big and imposing.
A child…this was a child's bedroom…for a certain child...a child with contest nightmares.
And he had been brought here only to be taken over by his supposed Nightmarish counterpart, the highly praised Nightmare Fredbear...that's how the other Nightmares saw him.
Speaking of which…
Suddenly to Goldie's complete and utter surprise, the radio switched itself on with a loud crackle of static followed by music which added to the already high feeling of tension.
That didn't scare him though, but what he heard next did, sending multiple alarm bells off in his head.
"Hehehe hahaha!"
(Begin the song now if you wish.)
Goldie spun round only to see the closet doors being pushed open to reveal a chuckling Nightmare Foxy inside.
"I'm lurking in your closet, never seen the light before, animatronic bodies breathing lurking at your door."
He approaches the now terrified Goldie.
"We've come to terrorize you, broken bodies with a score, we'll never really give up your fate is sealed for sure!"
Goldie turned and runs, throwing one of the bedroom doors wide open and legging it down the hall, Nightmare Foxy merely follows, still singing.
"The night's not over yet, you can't escape me, you simply can't forgot, you can't escape me, the party's just began, you can't escape me."
His eyes narrow in delight.
"You can try, that just makes things more fun!"
"The night's not over yet."
Goldie opens a door only to find Nightmare Bonnie right behind it.
"You can't escape me!"
He instantly slams it shut.
"You really can't forget."
He opens another door only to be confronted by Nightmare Chica.
"You can't escape me!"
Goldie quickly shuts it close.
"The party's just began."
He turns and opens another door only to come face to face with Nightmare Mangle.
"You can't escape me!"
He closes it shut.
"You can try, which just makes things more fun!"
Goldie backs away as the Nightmares come out and advance on him, showing their sharp teeth and flexing their claws.
He looks around for a possible escape route when he feels something tap him on the shoulder, he turns round only to come face to face with Nightmare Freddy who smiles, displaying his jagged teeth.
"Our looks have changed a little, hidden monsters in these masks, reaction terrifying, slowly let the hours pass."
He grips Goldie's shoulders whilst narrowing his eyes.
"There's no running from us, your life's within our grasp, no longer have a safe place, this night will be your last."
Goldie breaks free and runs pass him, Nightmare Freddy grins, joining the others in the pursuit.
"The night's not over yet, you can't escape me, you really can't forget, you can't escape me, the party's just began you can't escape me."
The Nightmares' shadows creep across the carpet.
"You can try that just makes this more fun!"
"The night's not over yet."
Goldie opens a door only to encounter Nightmarionne right behind it.
"You can't escape me!"
He instantly slams it shut.
"You really can't forget."
He opens another door only to be confronted by Nightmare Balloon Boy.
"You can't escape me!"
Goldie quickly shuts it close.
"The party's just began."
He turns and opens another only to come face to face with Plushtrap.
"You can't escape me!"
He closes it shut.
"You can try, which just makes things more fun!"
He finally finds a door with no one behind it, enters and slams it shut.
Goldie quickly barricades the door with anything he could find, only to be stopped dead in his tracks.
"Let me go!"
Before him is an active film projector, projecting a film reel onto the nearby wall…showing the Bite of 1983.
"Please help me!"
He can't move.
"Let me go!"
He doesn't want to move.
"I don't wanna go in!"
Seeing the child scream in terror.
"Help me!"
Seeing his head getting crushed by his teeth.
"Help me please!"
Seeing his bullies laugh at his misery.
"I don't wanna go!"
Seeing his darkest moment.
"Let me go!"
The frighten eyes of an innocent child.
"HELP ME!"
Then the door is bashed wide open and Nightmare Fredbear enters along with the other eight Nightmares, Goldie backs away, his eyes widening in fear.
"The night's not over yet, you can't escape me, you really can't forget, you can't escape me, the party's just began, you can't escape me."
The Nightmares surround him, baying for his blood.
"You can try that just makes things more fun!"
Nightmare Fredbear approaches him.
"You can't escape me!"
His sharp claws are outstretched.
"You can't escape me!"
He gives Goldie a cold smile.
"You can't escape me!"
He then grips his head, pushing his hands into his skull, making Goldie scream in agony as they meld into one.
"Oh, please let me go, out of this place where darkness grows."
He feels Nightmare Fredbear take over his soul and body.
"Behind the closet door…they'll be coming back for more."
The Nightmares flicker between themselves and their more loving counterparts.
"Oh, please let me go, out of this place where darkness grows."
Goldie still screaming fades away, taking Nightmare Fredbear with him.
"Behind the closet door…they'll be coming back for more…"
In the open doorway behind the Nightmares, the pale face of a young boy peeks out slowly, only to then withdraw silently without arousing attention.
End of flashback...
Goldie stared back at the shocked paled faces which surrounded him at the kitchen table.
All eyes were on him as he recalled his experience in the Nightmares' world or in Limbo to put it correctly. And what he had just said changed everyone's perception on what kind of threat they were truly facing. There weren't just five Nightmares, but nine plus Vincent with his army of endoskeletons. . .vs thirteen of them.
"Nine, there's nine Nightmares, did I just hear that right?" Foxy asked, his hook hand was shaking from nervousness.
Goldie slowly nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, there are nine Nightmares," he replied softly, lowering his head, allowing the others to digest his words.
"Nine and they're all the same," Toy Freddy muttered, like the others, his eyes were wide with fear.
They all had the right to be afraid.
Needless to say, Mangle, Balloon Boy and Puppet were shocked by the very idea of there being a nightmare version of them. "There's a nightmare version of me now?" Mangle asked, her mind already drawing up images of what she could look like.
"I'm afraid so," Goldie answered, sighing as he recalled the awful experience.
"How BB, Mangle or the Puppet weren't around when the child got bit, so how could his mind create nightmarish replicas of them?" Bonnie asked, unable to see a link between the two time periods.
Goldie shook his head.
"I don't know, but somehow they exist in his head."
"But going back to your description of the machine which Vincent used to bring Nightmare Fredbear in he could technically bring the others into this world too right?" Jeremy asked.
Then Mike interjected.
"And think about this, Vincent clearly didn't use Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy as hosts for their nightmarish counterparts, so he must have used other people and he's not on the polices' watch list, he was never charged for the childrens' murder. . .so."
He sighed and gripped his head with his hands.
"He could go out onto the streets and kidnap anyone and perform the operation, he could do it so easily."
"You're right, even though we number thirteen and they, including Vincent would be ten…we've seen what four Nightmares can do…I don't want to see what nine Nightmares can do!" Chica exclaimed, hugging herself with overwhelming worry. "This changes everything, we need to act now, I suggest we go straight after Vincent; he's the only one who knows how to conduct the operation, even if we kill Nightmares Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy, Vincent would only find new hosts to bring them back," Toy Bonnie stated, going straight to the point.
Freddy raised his head, his brain struggling to process this new information. . .this new threat.
"She's right, we need to kill him, it's the only way we can end this nightmare, we can average the children and guarantee our safety as well as many others."
He looked at the others, but especially Goldie. "We kill Vincent and the Nightmares that are currently here will be vulnerable, plus the others can't get through either, if that is the only way for them to get here."
"And what of the child?" Goldie asked plainly.
That caught everyone's attention.
"That poor boy. . .having those monsters for company…he's not in limbo, he's in hell," Toy Chica mourned, who was still hugging Goldie and had been doing so for the last twenty minutes.
"I don't know…how can we help him, we cannot get there," Balloon Boy argued. "Point well raised BB, right now we need to plan this out, we aren't in the best of condition," Jeremy added, gesturing to the Toys because their recent injuries. "We don't even know where they are, we need to relax, this information is too much for me to take in one sitting," Puppet groaned, pulling on her hair.
"While I'm sorry to fill your head with more knowledge, but…"
Goldie sighed as he brought forth a mind blowing confession.
"When I was passing out, but before I entered the machine…Vincent told me why he killed the children."
"WHAT!" was everyone else's reply.
"HE TOLD YOU WHY?"
Goldie only nodded in response.
Freddy leaned, across and grasped his hands tightly.
"What was it…what did he say?" he asked, his eyes desperately searching for answers. Goldie's eyes looked away unable to face Freddy's.
"I can't fully remember the details, I need time to think, but I know he told me."
Freddy sighed, struggling to fight his inner frustrations, they were so close yet so far. "Thank you for telling us Goldie and I mean it, its good to know this now."
Goldie gave him a small smile.
"Thanks Freddy, I know you mean it."
"So…what now?" Bonnie asked, leaning back in her chair.
Once again, everyone was thinking, trying to balance what they could do and what would put them in harm's way. "I say we relax and rest, I need to think this through again, but I know what we need to do with regards about Vincent," Toy Freddy stated.
"Aye laddie, that's properly best," Foxy added, grinning, happy at the idea of relaxing.
"Ok, that's what we'll do…just remember when we go to sleep we sleep in groups of five or six," Jeremy announced.
He stood up straight, pushing his chair back.
"I'll get dinner ready for everyone, any helpers?" he asked, sounding exhausted, today's events had been tiring.
Several raised their hands in response.
"Great, just follow my instructions," Jeremy ordered, proceeding to open up various drawers and cupboards.
"Everyone else do what you want until it is ready."
They all rose and went their separate ways, edger for some relaxation and something to distract them from recent events. Their minds which had been mentally shell shocked by recent years, now had to digest this new bloc information which was equally shocking.
They needed time to make sense of things, to mellow and then return with a clear head. However, they knew or at least they knew more about the past and its dark secrets, but wether they could make anything good out of it was anyone's guess.
It was something of a hollow victory for them and history is never one sided, at least when it comes to peoples' perspectives…
There's always more secrets to be revealed.
The past cannot be outrun, you'll only dwell in its shadow.
Again, I am sorry for the long delay between uploads.
Please Review, feedback is greatly appreciated.