Hello everyone and Happy Halloween!
Well it seems that the Curse of Dreadbear DLC is linked to Jeremy from HW and FNAF 4, so clearly it has a part to play in the story that HW has set up, but we'll find out how exactly eventually, maybe FNAF AR holds some answers. ;-)
Anyway, many thanks to AugustFrost12 and thx for their reviews, I don't want to make each chapter seem too long, so I try to keep to a word count l to avoid overloading it. Although no one has complained about the chapter sizes so far, so I'll take that as sign that you're all happy with the chapters' length.
The song in this chapter is 'Alive' by Aviators, I intend to use the song again, although it is fast in its chorus, yet it has a haunting theme to it and though this chapter isn't outright scary, there are a few horror moments.
Apologies for any grammar mistakes.
Chapter 42.
Nightmarish Memories.
"I am given flesh, to be your tormentor."
Nightmare Freddy from Ultimate Custom Night.
The sun had slowly been rising over the clouds, heralding the start of a new day.
The airship had already reached its preassigned destination, being low in the sky as it loomed over the woods below. Thankfully, it could be obscured by the clouds, although the area's isolation provided natural cover from any onlookers.
Watching the sun rise from the use of Vincent's seat in the airship's cockpit, Nightmare Bonnie found herself pondering on what she would do with her life once she was freed from the bonds that tied her soul to Thomas, aka Tommy.
"What would a monster want out of life, despite the need to satisfy its primeval desires?" she mentally asked herself, as the sun rose above the clouds.
"I want to live, but do I merely want the safety of being free and not being tied to others, instead of desiring to use that freedom for some greater purpose?"
Unable to find answer, she sighed in frustration and slumped further back in the chair, with her purple bluish hair brushing against her shoulders and arms. Breaking free from Tommy had always been their main aim once they discovered the reality of their existence, which they immensely hated.
Yet, they weren't prepared to risk their own safety by rushing things in order to break free as desperate as they were to make it happen. Even though there was the ever present danger that something would happen to Tommy and force him to move on before they succeeded, thereby ending their existence in a heartbeat.
They tried to physically get out of the house, but it wouldn't let them leave, but each failed attempt brought to them closer to something of a breakthrough. Eventually, they discovered a possible escape route through the possession of mortal vessels to act as an anchor to the physical plane and enable them to gain a better understanding of the exact circumstances of their lifelines to Thomas.
Yet they needed a way to create the link and a means for someone else on the other side to purposefully make such circumstances possible.
That's where Vincent Afton came in.
With him and their help, through complicated and demonic science they achieved the near impossible.
"I suppose this adult body is much more to my liking, having to possess the body of a child to get around have had its difficulties," Nightmare Bonnie muttered bitterly to herself as she flexed her neck muscles.
Taking her eyes off the ever increasing glare of the sun, she gazed down at her hands, although claws would be a better description for them.
They were sharp and pointy and although they weren't skeletal, they definitely belonged to that of a monster. Just looking at them made her delve deeper into the possibility of what sort of life she could live after this wretched saga was over.
She remembered when she and the others had looked in the mirror back in the house in Limbo.
"Am I just a dark reflection of Bonnie?" she mentally asked, for the question had never actually left her.
"And if Bonnie does indeed die, then what I am?" She asked aloud, staring at her claw like hand.
Her entire identity had been based around being Bonnie's opposite and even then, at the basic level she was just the twisted interpretation of one of the masked bullies who had 'accidentally' killed Tommy.
In truth, she never knew whether she wanted to have that as her main identity, or if she wanted to be someone different.
She didn't know, because she was too busy focused on the here and now.
For all her desire to break her chains and gain freedom, she hadn't given much thought as to where she would stand in the end.
She flexed her fingers, watching as they moved back and forth. Yes, she was definitely in control of her body. Like Vincent had told them yesterday, there was no chance of the former occupants ever coming back and regaining control of their former bodies.
They made dead sure of that, but it didn't hurt to be reassured of the fact. Yet seeing how Goldie through sheer willpower was able to hold on despite being possessed by Nightmare Fredbear, only to then come back and decisively force the Nightmare out and regain complete control of his own body had unnerved her. Especially if she were to find herself in a similar situation at a bad moment.
The Fazbears may complain and rightfully so that things had been tough for them in the past, but it was a similar story for the Nightmares as well. They had fought long and hard to get where they are, and they nearly lost everything in two separate occasions.
Something flickered in her mind's eye, it was brief, but clear.
Laughter, a laughter that sounded both mocking and sinister, with the owner of the voice taking immense delight in whatever was going on.
She remembered feeling weak, pained even as something terrible was happening. Instantly, she felt more memories arise from the depths of her subconscious, but she repressed them, preventing herself from having to relive them.
She felt her heart skip a beat, the fear that she had felt in that moment returned to her.
"No, that was long ago!" she hissed, trying to contain her mental panic.
Even though she wasn't actually aware of what was happening at the time, as the incident was taking place whilst she had been in hibernation, the implications still scared her even now.
A shiver ran down her spine, she felt her body go weak, with her knees buckling on their own accord. Yes, there were things that even she was afraid of, despite being a monster herself.
She was a Nightmare for Christ sake; the very name alone created an image of terror in most people's minds.
However, even she held fears of her own, and some clearly remained.
Yet, she was able to keep her panic under control and the fear steadily faded away, with the moment leaving her mind. That event could never happen again, they wouldn't let it, not after how close they had all come to death.
Her bluish purple eyes flickered upwards, now staring at the warm bright glow of the morning sun as it shone through the cockpit's windows.
An awful lot had happened within the last twelve hours, but Nightmare Bonnie knew that in the end the effort should pay off. It was her recommendation that they should go for Balloon Boy, given that he would be easier to direct and keep an eye on as their little game went on.
It was never in their intentions for BB to die, and if things ever threatened to go that way then they would personally intervene. Luckily, to their own amazement, BB survived long enough against the possessed prop suits to win their little game, even though they needed to intervene at the very end before the former nightguards could carry out their revenge.
Although they were never going to let him walk free without a firm 'talking to' first, just to make sure that he got the message.
She believed that he had delivered the message by now and she easily picture the Fazbears' reaction to the news. It made her smile inside, almost giddy in fact, but she strongly resisted the lure to laugh at the thought. She wanted to focus on more serious matters, not entertain herself with the ideas of how much stress this must be causing for her enemies. Although it still delighted her, but now things were getting serious.
The game was beginning to tip towards its end point, yet it still had a long way to go before reaching it and that's if they were able to maintain its course.
The ending had to be perfect as it was precise.
"The last thing we want to do is mess our path to freedom at the last moment, we'll only get one chance to kill the Fazbears and it has to go right," she mentally muttered to herself, almost as if she was trying to reassure herself on the chances of things going badly.
That one chance was why they had been 'lenient' with the Fazbears during their interactions, they never intended to kill them. Well, excluding those times when their bloodlust was acting up and got the better of them, like when they threaten to drop the Toys down a chasm, forgetting whether their deaths right there would affect the intended outcome in some way.
Nightmare Bonnie returned her gaze towards her hands, watching as she flexed her fingers back and forth with curiosity.
Every part of his body was hers, matching her original form back in Limbo.
The bluish purple hair, the sharp claws for hands, the tattered bunny ears that stuck out of the top of her head and wobbled whenever she walked. Every bone in this body was hers; the rib cage that shielded her heart, the bones in her ears that she used for her hearing, the teeth that were jagged and sharp and her beating heart that sounded like a drum beneath her breasts, keeping her alive.
Then finally, there were her eyes, those two vibrant bluish purple pupils that some might call beautiful and enchanting if her Nightmarish features were ignored. Slowly, she clenched her claw into a fist as an irritating reminder surfaced in her mind, it made her eyes narrow in annoyance at the thought.
This body was not hers; she hadn't been born with it, but rather took possession of it for her own desires.
She could only just recall the young woman who was the original owner of this body. In the possession process, Nightmare Bonnie had crushed her soul and held down as if she was spiritually strangling it to death.
Given that it had happened years ago, there was no chance of her ever remerging to fight Nightmare Bonnie for her body.
No. . .time had sure of that possibility being mute.
"Still," she mentally began.
"The prospect still worries me to some extent, especially given what happened to Nightmare Fredbear."
She would admit to herself that she was scared of the thought.
"Although the woman I took this body from did not put up a strong resistance," she uttered aloud.
"Still, I can recall my earliest memories, even though everything blends together."
She had the time, so why not tried to take a little trip down memory lane. Slowly she closed her eyes and tuned out the humming sound of the airship's turbines. Her mind began to drift backwards through her memories, events and feelings raced past her mind's eyes as she drew herself closer to those early days.
She remembered her birth, a moment of complete unawareness, just childish insults echoing back and forth between each other in the dark in a never ending loop.
"Your weak."
"Pathetic."
Hurling abuse constantly against the same battered soul that had been forced to undertake so much of it in their waking live.
"Your weak."
"Pathetic."
Forever and ever, offering no comfort to the victim, just being an endless barrage of verbal abuse.
Until the tone changed, briefly going deep, and distorting the words.
"Your weak."
"Pathetic."
Before resetting to its usual harsh childish tone.
"Your weak."
"Pathetic."
Only to again become distorted briefly.
"Your weak."
"Pathetic."
The tone glitched, the childish tone flickered to sounding deranged and more adult, even demonic on some level.
"Your weak."
"Pathetic."
And it stayed, growing in strength as it grew louder.
"Your weak."
"Pathetic."
The voice became harsher in its tone, cutting even deeper than before, like a knife being plunged deep into human skin.
"Your weak."
"Pathetic."
The childish tone was starting to change, slowly morphing into something else.
Something more horrible and twisted as the words continued to glitch.
"Your weak."
"Pathetic."
The tone's cruel intentions remained the same, but its delivery become more and more unsettling as it went on.
"Your weak."
"Pathetic."
Then a new change occurred.
"Your weak."
"Pathetic."
The childish tone now started to sound more. . .feminine, as well as hysterical and sadistic.
The sweet delight of taking pleasure from a victim was becoming empowering as the words continued to change.
"Your weak."
"Pathetic."
Sadism was the dominant tone, followed by gloating and addiction to causing untold misery.
The feminine voice continued to grow louder, as its love for misery and pain became ever stronger, further amplifying the laugh as it echoed throughout the dark recesses of the boy's traumatised mind.
"Your weak."
"Pathetic."
As the feminine voice continued to grow in its mockery and cruelty, something began to take shape behind it. As the worst aspects of the bully were morphed into the ideal owner of the new female voice, as the traumatised mind went into creative overdrive.
The boy's fears and its interpretation of his bully were poured into the new entity, giving it a singular purpose, to terrify and harm him specifically as was its nature.
Soon a physical form was created as the boy's fears turned into reality, being clearly laid out in the entity's appearance.
"Your weak."
"Pathetic."
What had been hands were now terrifying claws and ordinary teeth had become razor sharp and jagged. The hair was now a glossy blueish purple, with the body having a female appearance even though the original owner of the voice had been male.
Now it only spoke with a distinctive female voice, the childish taunting of the boy had been crushed and replaced with an even darker and crueller version of whom the boy feared.
"Your weak."
"Pathetic."
The face was a mirror image of Bonnie, reflecting back the worst traits of the face mask that the bully wore, giving the nightmarish horror life as she opened her eyes.
Two bluish purple pupils burned in the darkness like they were a lit flame, expressing her hunger for torture and drive for bone crushing agony. It was all she knew, being nothing more than a mindless predator that lurked in the dark and haunted its prey's footsteps. The entirety of her early days were nothing more than a deadly game of hide and seek as she sought out Tommy and yet, he succeeded in keeping her and her nightmare companions at bay for six whole nights.
Nightmare Bonnie's next memory involved her peering round the corner of the left hallway, glaring at a slightly open door from which a dim light could be seen. She wanted to get inside and jumpscare Tommy, before ripping him to shreds. However, gaining entry had unexpectedly proven to be difficult.
Small footsteps sounded from the room, evident of Tommy moving around and blocking off the other Nightmares as they attempted to sneak in. Nightmare Foxy was in particular was very keen to break out from his hiding place. Judging by the sound's distance, Tommy was on the far side, trying to ward off Nightmare Chica.
Nightmare Bonnie smiled in the sweet anticipation of blood, feeling the urge to race forward and burst in.
Now was her chance!
She moved quickly across the blue carpet, crouching as she did, despite trying to avoid making a sound that would alert the boy to her approach. She neared the open door, feeling her desire for blood grow with the possibility of it being shed in reach. Her bluish purple eyes shone brightly, being in tune with her inner aggressive mood.
Then suddenly Tommy appeared in the small space between the door and the doorway, gazing back at her with blue eyes that expressed surprise.
Yet she didn't give him the chance to react.
Suddenly she reached forward, gripping the door with one hand to keep it open, whilst using her other to grab Tommy's hand, the one that held the torch and pulled him towards her in a sharp tug.
"AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" She screamed violently, howling as she tightened her grip on his hand, so tight that her claws cut into Tommy's skin, making it bleed red.
He screamed likewise, but in sheer fear, with his expressing pure horror at the sight of her, with her eyes showing a rather vile and animalistic enjoyment in the agony that she was causing. In his desperation to break free as he pulled back in a frantic fashion, he drove her claws deeper into his arm, making the wound bleed even more and causing him no end of pain.
Nightmare Bonnie forced herself through the winding door, pushing it fully open as she did. With Tommy being forced to give ground, as he desperately tried to keep the door close, but he was unable to resist the Nightmare's strength as she stepped into the room.
Now that she was inside, she instantly strengthened her grip on his hand, digging her claws in deeper and forcing him to cry in pain.
It was more than enough to make him drop the torch, which was her main goal, it fell to the carpet with a heavy thud. No doubt the sound would catch the attention of the other Nightmares, if their collective screams hadn't already.
Soon, there would be heavy thuds of Nightmare Chica barrelling down the right hallway; the growling of Nightmare Foxy and the creaking of the closet doors as he emerged from the shadows, and then groaning of the bed being lifted upwards and hissing sounds of Nightmare Freddy's 'Freddies' as he crawled out of its dark confines.
Without the torch Tommy had nothing, and Nightmare Bonnie sharply gripped his other hand, digging her claws into his skin for the sole benefit of seeing him wince in pain. She let out a low growl, being incapable of speech like the other Nightmares; whilst she he stared at him with eyes that were narrowed and yet alit with powerful emotions that revealed the ruthless hunger for fear and pain that resided in the heart of her soul.
Tommy was completely terrified as he trembled from head to toe, his face was one complete horror and his eyes expressed a deep seated panic as he stared Nightmare Bonnie down, although there seemed to be little that he could do to change his impending fate.
Suddenly Nightmare Bonnie screamed again and with a swift kick from her feet, she knocked his legs out from under him, making him fall to the floor with her on top, still clutching his hands and pinning him down.
"AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" she shrieked, with her hair falling over her eyes, yet that didn't dim the brightness of her eyes or hide the aggressive gaze that she was giving him.
In fact, it only made her look even more demented as she lunged forward, trying to bite him with her sharp teeth. Yet in his desperation to defend himself, he was somehow able to free one of his hands from her iron like grip and manoeuvre it between his face and her teeth, as the latter proceeded to bite down on his arm.
Nightmare Bonnie savagely ripped into his arm, her teeth penetrating as far as the muscle, with blood spurting out and running down his skin like many streams. Tommy screamed in both pain and fear at the mere sight of what was happening to his arm. No matter how hard he kicked away at her, it did nothing to stop her attacks, let alone dislodge her.
Tasting his blood made her eyes widen with a sense of adrenaline, fuelling her acts with an animalistic brutality as she kept up her attacks. Tommy meanwhile in his desperation was trying to reach out to grab anything of use with his immobilised arm as it was still pinned by Nightmare Bonnie.
With her other claw, she reached down and grasped Tommy by the neck, slowly squeezing into the boy's airways as she choked him.
Seeing him gasping and struggle brought a smile of satisfaction to her face as in the end it was what she wanted above all else.
To see him suffer, it was what brought her pleasure as it had the Bonnie mask wearing bully who had preceded her.
Victory was hers. . .or so it seemed.
Somehow, probably by sheer luck, the torch that Tommy had dropped was close enough for him to reach out and grab, despite having his hand held down by Nightmare Bonnie.
WHACK!
There was a loud and heavy smack against her arm as torch sharply impacted her arm. Instantly immense pain exploded into being, with Nightmare Bonnie screaming out in agony as her arm throbbed.
WHACK!
Another heavy hit, being just as painful as the last, with this one being strong enough to loosen the Nightmare's hold on Tommy's arm, allowing him to wrench it completely free.
Now with his arm fully free and using all of his might, he quickly smacked the torch against the side of Nightmare Bonnie's face.
CRACK!
Metal collided with flesh and bone, with there being a significant cracking sound, signifying the breaking of Nightmare Bonnie's lower jaw. You could see the pain in her eyes, as both pupils widen in response to the immediate flare of agony that erupted from her mouth.
Her painful cries were evident, as she released her grip on Tommy's arm and throat, pulling her arms back and clenching her mouth. The sudden explosion of pain made her shriek like a banshee, with her jaw hanging loosely.
The agony was too overwhelming for her to focus on Tommy anymore as the pain from her jaw throbbed. In the lull that was created, Tommy pushed himself upright and whilst she was distracted by the pain, shone torch's light right into her eyes. The fierce blaze of light made her bluish and purple eyes shine vibrantly despite causing her immense agony as the light overload her senses, further adding to the pain she felt.
She fell backwards in her confusion, as Tommy staggered to his feet, forcing himself to stand. His arm was bleeding heavily with visible bite marks that peppered his skin. His throat was red, evident of where Nightmare Bonnie had grasped him in her attempt to choke him. He clenched the torch tightly in his hand as he brought it up, shining the light into her eyes for a second time.
The sheer brightness was too much for Nightmare Bonnie to handle as she backed away through the open doorway, still holding her jaw as it hung loosely from her mouth.
She shrieked like a wounded animal, yet her eyes burned with a tremendous rage, expressing her furry. In the end, she unleashed it, swiping forward with one of her claws, it was strong enough to impact Tommy's chest, ripping through his shirt and leaving several bloody marks on his skin.
Yet he didn't go down like she expected, but instead he remained standing, although the pain he was feeling was evident on his face as he breathed heavily.
Suddenly he stepped forward and swiftly raised the torch to Nightmare Bonnie's face, shoving the light right into her eyes. The intense brightness completely overloaded her senses, bringing agony to her eyes as her vision went completely white. She screamed again, falling and stumbling backwards as she impacted into the wall behind her, causing nearby pictures to fall from their holdings. She continued to shriek and scream in protest of the agony from both her lower jaw and her eyes.
Tommy stood in the open doorway, staring at her with a confused expression, he didn't seem to be reacting to his wounds anymore, even though blood continued to drip from his chest and arm. Yet he was still breathing heavily, seeming to be exhausted by the effort.
Nightmare Bonnie did nothing, but continue to scream amidst her agony, as she clawed at her own skin to relive the immense pain she was feeling, as her vision was now blurry with everything around her morphing into eachother.
Yet Tommy keep the torch on her, making she growl and snarl at him, showing her enraged face and baring her sharp teeth.
However, something was different. . .
Tommy was still holding the torch, but he now was clutching his head with his other hand, he seemed to be in distress.
Yet Nightmare Bonnie didn't move to take advantage of the situation, she was too immobilised by the pain that her eyes and lower jaw were still giving her.
However, she could make out that Tommy wasn't all too right with the way he was holding his head, like he was experiencing some greater inner pain. Then he turned to look at Nightmare Bonnie and despite her poor vision, she could see the source of his pain. His eyes, they were flickering back and forth between red and blue in a manner that seemed to be extremely painful for him, as his facial expression changed from being confused to looking agonised with him gritting his teeth.
He was hurting, that much she could see.
Then he quickly moved backwards through the doorway, and in one swift motion he slammed the door shut on the Nightmare. Immediately darkness returned, snuffing out the light in a heartbeat, with Nightmare Bonnie left alone in the shadows.
Her broken lower jaw throbbed painfully, causing her to hiss and gasp as she breathed, but her eyes were starting to readjust, even though the bright light from the torch had left her seeing odds colourful shapes in her vision. Steadily, she collapsed onto her side, with heavy breathing, as exhaustion swept over her like a wave, dragging her underneath into its sweet embrace.
Her heighten senses slowly relaxed, she needed to focus on healing, the hunt was over for her at least. She could hear the soft footsteps of Tommy on the other side of the door as he moved around to deal with the other Nightmares in his usual routine of quickly monitoring their movements.
Consumed by the aching of her eyes and lower jaw, Nightmare Bonnie just lay there on the floor like a wounded animal. The surrounding darkness was a welcoming comfort to her, she felt safe in it. Then she could hear approaching footsteps from down the hallway, getting closer and closer. Although shadows did not exist in the darkness, as there was no light, she felt a presence fall upon her, like something was looming over her.
In response her eyes darted about, until they fell upon the cause of that feeling.
Something was indeed towering over her, or rather someone.
It was Nightmare Fredbear, evident by his bright scarlet red eyes that burned out of the surrounding darkness, illuminating his face.
He stared down at her with a look that she could not recognise, but it was not aggressive or menacing in the slightest. Yet his eyes bore in hers with an intense stare, why, was he searching for something?
He didn't seem to be confused as to how she had ended up in her current state, but still he didn't lessen his gaze.
Then he emitted a soft growl, but there was no aggression or anger in it, just something that she couldn't understand.
She didn't know it back then, but he was actually sighing in disappointment.
"How pitiful. . ." he muttered, in a low broad tone and yet none of it registered with Nightmare Bonnie as she now stared back at him, looking confused.
"You are not a hunter," he said, in a tone that would best be described as dismissive, if Nightmare Bonnie understood such a thing.
He stepped closer, evident by the sound of his feet moving.
"Did you see his eyes change, anything that seemed odd?" he asked smoothly.
Nightmare Bonnie couldn't speak, but she had a limited understanding of words and her eyes widen in recollection of seeing Tommy's eyes shifting between blue and red. Nightmare Fredbear recognised the look of familiarity in her eyes and took that to mean yes. The intensity of his stare died down as he spoke.
"So, you saw it too, as have I, it didn't seem right," his tone was smooth, but not domineering.
"Something is wrong, out of place, do you understand?" he asked.
Nightmare Bonnie hesitated, before slowly nodding in confirmation.
Nightmare Fredbear's scarlet red eyes narrowed as he spoke again in a direct tone.
"Do you want to catch him?"
Again, Nightmare Bonnie nodded slowly, she understood the concept of 'catch', as it was similar to hunting.
Then Nightmare Fredbear smiled, expressing delight, an emotion that Nightmare Bonnie could understand. He reached down and firmly grabbed her by the arm. He then started to drag the Nightmare across the carpet, pulling her down the hallway and further into the darkness. She growled at the feeling of being pulled, but made no attempt to resist, as she felt too exhausted to try, as Nightmare Fredbear spoke in a low and direct tone.
"Your wounds will heal, I will put you back together, after all. . ."
Nightmare Fredbear turned back to her as he walked, again his scarlet red eyes burned in the dark as he smiled confidently, before saying.
"Tomorrow is just another day."
Nightmare Bonnie sighed as she slumped forward, resting her head in her hands.
Those had been simple days, but even then, in her pre sentience state she could see that something was wrong with him. Yet she was was like the code in a computer program, unable to operate independently, but instead just following its set path.
Nightmare Fredbear was the very first of their kind to become self-aware, and slowly gain the ability of speech, hence his limited use of words. Eventually she and others followed suit, steadily becoming aware of their own existence and much more. It was the start of them separating themselves from Tommy, ceasing to be soulless recreations of his bullies and instead actual people.
It was a luxury at first. . .before it turned sour.
She was her own person, but not in spirit, her existence, her soul was still tied to Tommy due to him being her creator and whatever fate befell him would fatally affect her.
She was simply incomplete.
In truth she didn't know what exactly would happen should he ever move on, but either she would simply fade away or be dragged screaming into the depths of hell.
No. . .that wouldn't happen so easily and it hasn't happened during the last forty years, so why start worrying now.
Tommy couldn't do it by himself; he was too divided on the issue to bring about some form of closure. What Nightmare Bonnie soon learned to fear was the possibility that someone else might force an outcome where Tommy could move on and bring about an unexpected end to all of them.
That was her deepest fear and for as long as the possibility existed of someone enabling Tommy to move on before she could successfully break away, then her fear was justified.
Hence why it was important for everything to go right. The Fazbears' deaths had to be perfect in order to bring about their freedom.
Once the chains were removed, then the sweet allure of life beckoned and they could really start to live.
"We can do what we were created to do. . .and be complete," she mentally mused, feeling hopeful at the prospect of gaining her freedom. Then suddenly Nightmare Bonnie felt a presence looming over her and then a pair of claws fell over her eyes, completely blocking out her vision.
"Guess who?" said a male voice, sounding quite amused, along with the sound of multiple footsteps approaching.
Nightmare Bonnie sighed; she wasn't in a playful mood right now.
"Nightmare Freddy, what a surprise," she annoyingly groaned.
Instantly she reached up with her claws, grabbed hold of Nightmare Freddy's claws and pulled them off her, rising from her chair as she did.
"Ha, she isn't in the mood laddie, never tease her unless you wish get on her bad side," Nightmare Foxy exclaimed humorously, raising his hook hand and standing off to one side.
"Although it is amusing to watch if you are not the victim," Nightmare Chica remarked, equally humoured, walking in as she was the last one to enter the cockpit.
"If you are seeking to amuse me, then I am not in the mood for any of your antics," Nightmare Bonnie stated firmly and her frown expressed her displeasure, but Nightmare Freddy was not so easily deferred. He smiled, his dark red eyes expressing enjoyment at Nightmare Bonnie's annoyance as he reached forward and wrapped his arms around the Nightmare's neck, pulling her back.
"Why, doesn't the anticipation of running rings around Freddy and his lot excited you?" he asked, resting his head against hers.
"Yes, it does, but I was thinking about the possibility of the former occupant of this body coming back and. . .forcing me out," Nightmare Bonnie muttered softly, going rather quiet at the last part.
"Oh," Nightmare Chica muttered quietly and her amused expression instantly dropped, recognising the serious meaning in the Nightmare's tone before saying.
"Back when we discovered that Goldie had forced Nightmare Fredbear back into Limbo, we did entertain the possibility of losing these bodies through a similar manner."
"Yes, we did, even as I looked back through my memories, I could see my chains being laid down and even though I am here in the physical sense," Nightmare Bonnie replied, she sounded unnerved.
She paused to place her claw on her chest, feeling her heartbeat.
"I can feel the lifeline to Tommy, knowing that if something bad were to happen, then everything I've done would have been for nothing."
"Our biggest fear," Nightmare Foxy murmured to himself, he too had gone quiet as he leaned against the cockpit walls.
"Losing these bodies would set us back a long way," he said, sounding rather grim about the prospect and rightfully so.
Nightmare Freddy's expression of amusement dropped, replaced with a serious look as his eyes narrowed.
"Mind meld with me," he ordered, although he didn't sound firm despite the hard look in his eyes, but instead came across as concerned, a rare sight for him. Nightmare Bonnie gave him a slight nod of agreement, before he placed his claw on top of her head and closed his eyes.
She did likewise and slowly, their thoughts began to connect, feeding into eachother and blending their two minds together. It was a power that they had rarely used since waking up from their long hibernation and it served as a means for them to have private conversations on personal matters.
Only the four of them would know the content of such conversations.
There was the sound of people moving about before Nightmare Bonnie felt two more claws touch her head and she knew it to be Nightmares Foxy and Chica, connecting their minds to hers and Nightmare Freddy, in short, they created a private mental network. Together, the four of them revisited those thrilling moments when they were on the 'hunt' for the 'prey' that would provide the means for their escape from this prison that they were forced to call home.
November 1987
Hurried footsteps hit the blue carpet floor, as fleeting shadows moved across the walls. The sound of hushed and frantic voices echoed throughout the hall as four people ran for their lives down a never-ending series of hallways that seemed to hold no exit.
The people in question were two men and two women who looked frantic and fearful. Their eyes were wide with terror, their breathing short and tense, with every sound from this strange nightmare world making them jump out of their skin.
Every so often they looked back, whilst they frantically muttered.
"Where's the exit?"
"What is this place?"
"What were those things, are they people?"
"How do we get out?"
The darkness seemed to chase them, every junction revealed more shadowy hallways only dimly lit by a few lamps, with the possibility of a new terror hiding in the dark. Their surroundings all looked the same, blue carpet and blue greyish doors lining the walls, it was a never ending labyrinth that stretched ever onwards.
"For Christ's sake, where is the bloody exit!" one of the men shouted, sounding both frustrated and scarred.
"I don't see any, there's no way out!" one woman exclaimed, feeling nothing but pure adrenaline fuelled terror.
"There has to be, they'll kill us if we stop moving," the second man replied hastily, glancing back to see nothing but an endless wall of darkness following them relentlessly.
"What were those things?"
Suddenly, as the words left his lips two pairs of bright eyes materialised out of the dark, the sheer sight of them made the man's heart skip several beats before swiftly informing the others of the danger.
"They're right behind us!"
Instantly the others turned their heads about to see the terror glaring at them out of the dark.
One pair was a clear reddish brown, with the other being a deep bluish purple, yet both looked extremely aggressive as they bore out of the shadows at their terrified victims, compelling them to run even faster.
A harsh and mocking laugh erupted into being, with the additional sounds of glowing pursuing them, haunting their footsteps as their feet hit the floor at a rapid pace.
"HAAAAAAAAA!"
"HAAAAAAAA!"
The very sound only served to increase the fear that the four adults felt as their instinctive drive to flee pushed their emotional state to breaking point.
Out of the darkness, emerging as if it were a liquid wall of blackness two pair of sharp and menacing claws slowly appeared, barely being luminated in the dim light of the hallway.
"Keep running, we can outrun them, there has to be a dam exit!" one woman shouted in terror, sprinting ahead of the others.
Yet the monsters in the darkness did not give up on their pursuit, proceeding to keep up with their prey, despite the latter's attempts to outrun them.
Every time they looked back, those eyes would still be there, projecting a ravenous desire for torment and blood. The eyes hounded them endlessly, never falling behind, but not quite catching either, seeming to maintain a constant distance. Yet their mere presence was more than enough to unnerve the four adults who were starting to feel exhausted after running endlessly from the terror that sought them out so fervently.
And the fear inducing laughter never ended, for it was cruel and hollow of good intent and amusement, as it rang out all around, echoing back and forth.
"HAAAAAAAAA!"
"HAAAAAAAA!"
It was clearly a male and female that were laughing, but that was last thing on the adults' minds as they continually ran for their lives, seeking out an exit from this hell that never seemed to materialise into being, no matter how hard they ran.
Within them lay the growing realisation that this place was a labyrinth with no exit. . .a maze with no prize.
As they soon found out.
Suddenly in the darkness beyond them several pair of eyes materialised, burning with the same ravenous bloodlust that the other two possessed.
One was dark red, whilst the other was a fiery orange yellow, yet both looked cold and embolden at the same time.
Immediately the group of people stopped in their tracks, now realising that they were trapped, and their worst fears were now upon them, slowly emerging out of the darkness. Just like the other two monsters, a demented and yet youthful laughter rang out from the dark, as the new monsters emerged from the looming shadows, with claws that seemed to glint in the dim light, appearing to be very much razor sharp.
The four people back away cautiously, very much wanting to get away, but were soon reminded of the threat fast approaching their rear, as the previous monsters also made their appearance fully known, striding right out the darkness and fully revealing themselves to the naked human eye.
All four wore what seemed to be worn out clothes marked with holes and tears, other than looking extremely aged. The females both wore skirt dresses, whilst one male was dressed in a pirate costume and the other was clothed in what was described as a dinner suit. Yet their appearance was overall aged, ragged and dusty like they had existed for decades. Their faces however, matched those of the monsters that children's' overactive imagination would conjure up, even though they looked distinctly human.
Their eyes were bright and held unnatural colours that didn't belong to any other human. Yet it was their teeth that was the most unsettling, being jagged, sharp and even three rows deep with one of the females, marking her out as the most savage looking of the four. Their ears only made them look all the more odd, with tattered and mangled looking bear, bunny and fox ears sticking out of the sides or tops of three of the horrors, whilst the fourth presumably had normal ears, although it did nothing to hide her horrifying features.
Their claws continued to glint in the dim light of the hallway lights that hung overhead, with their collective appearance causing the four people to tremble uncontrollably for appearance and nature often go hand in hand.
"Dear God, what are you?" one of the men asked, unable to hide his shock and fear.
"Your replacements, your successors," the one in the pirate costume answered, snarling and sneering they spoke, baring their fangs in an overtly aggressive manner.
One of the women was clasping her hands, she was clearly about to plead for her life, but one of the female horrors, the one with the three rows of teeth and orangery yellow eyes, swiftly held up its claw dismissing her before she could attempt to speak.
"No," she said, in a low and direct tone as she bore into the fear filled eyes of the woman that shook before her gaze.
"No, there is no use in pleading, this can only have one outcome. . .and you cannot walk away free."
Her tone was stone cold as was her gaze, whilst not as aggressive as others, it certainly fuelled the ever-increasing feel of dread that existed within the woman.
Yet, she somehow mustered the willpower to reply.
"Why?" it was barely a whisper.
The female horror didn't bother with a reply, instead choosing to calmly walk around the woman in an almost casual fashion.
Then the other woman spoke up, bursting into a frenzy of questions.
"Where are we, what is this place?"
"There. . .there was this man and someone else, something standing alongside him laughing, they turn on this machine and then there was a massive blinding white light and loud mechanical sounds, we started screaming and then suddenly we were suck in and ended up here."
She then turned at the walking female horror before screaming out.
"WHAT ARE YOU!"
The female horror stopped instantly and turned in the woman's direction, her face was completely blank and her eyes unreadable, yet she answered in a cold and menacing tone.
"I am Nightmare Chica and these are Nightmares Freddy, Bonnie and Foxy, and you four are unfortunabley dead."
"You were dead the moment you set foot in this place."
"Sadly, you were in wrong place at the wrong time, as you are now, this is where your story ends."
Her eyes remained unnarrowed, projecting an aura of lacking humanity and the woman only looked even more afraid, trembling in the Nightmare's presence.
"I. . .I don't want to-"
"No one wants to die, but you are our only proper chance of escaping this decrepit tomb," Nightmare Chica spoke brazenly, cutting the woman off.
Her yellow orangery eyes bore into the woman, who was on the verge of becoming an emotional wreck and yet her shock seemed to be preventing her mental collapse.
"For so long," began the one presumed to be Nightmare Foxy given his tattered fox ears.
"We have been stuck in here, but now our prayers have been answered."
"Prayers, prayers to what?" one of the men asked frantically, quickly looking back and forth between the four Nightmares, trying to find an answer through their facial expressions, although neither offered any hope of salvation.
"Prayers for escape, to become complete and experience the joy of creation," Nightmare Foxy replied, clearly eager and in anticipation of what was about to occur.
"Actual freedom, with no strings attached," said the Nightmare believed to be Nightmare Freddy, given his withered bear ears in a plain and discounted tone.
"However, due to pre-existing circumstances we cannot leave this place," another Nightmare now obviously Nightmare Bonnie muttered, sighing as she spoke with her torn bunny ears wobbling as she moved her head about.
Slowly as she spoke, the other Nightmares gradually rounded in on the adults, surrounding them and forcing them up against the wall. The aggressive growls of the Nightmare Foxy, the cold glare of Nightmare Chica and sinister smile of Nightmare Freddy.
"We have tried to get out before, but this house won't let us leave, no matter how hard we have tried to break out, it will always push back," Nightmare Bonnie muttered sorrowfully.
She sighed, visibly looking upset with her bunny ears dropping as she lowered her face before speaking again.
"We cannot get out; we are incapable of existing beyond its confines as we lacked the strength to break out on our own."
Then she raised her head, looking directly at the woman who had spoken earlier, their eyes locked, with now a cold purplish blue staring longingly into wide eye hazel brown.
"However, if we took your bodies, then we would have somewhere to go, we could have a place to hide."
"We need you, so we can become you, it is a sad situation, but we'll take our chance, after all it is nice to know that mister Afton has honoured his side of the bargain so far, we shouldn't keep him waiting any longer," she snarled.
"Wait, what do you mean 'take' our bodies?" the second man asked fearful, looking terrified out of his wits as Nightmare Foxy loomed over him with a sinister smile that invited foul intent.
"Isn't it obvious?" Nightmare Freddy remarked casually, with an uncaring look in his eyes as he spoke, slowly stepping forward.
"We'll possess you and use you for our means and through your unwilling sacrifice, we can begin to break our chains, the physical plane beckons."
"Please!" the second man begged, getting down on his knees before the Nightmare, he was practically pleading with him, but Nightmare Freddy would offer no escape from what needed to happen.
Life isn't fair and when your desire triumphs someone else's, it is merely an inconvenient.
Suddenly with lighting speed Nightmare Freddy grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him up into the air. The man instantly grabbed onto the Nightmare's claws, clutching as he tired to pry himself out of the Nightmare's grasp, but Nightmare Freddy wouldn't give him any ground, continuing to smile in his enjoyment of the man's torment.
"P. . .l. . .e. . .a. . .s. . .e" the man begged as Nightmare Freddy cut into his airways and the latter replied in a cold and stoic tone that didn't match his smile, but he was clearly enjoying what he was doing.
"This is where your story ends."
Then something moved underneath his suit, twisting about under the fabric and soon enough three heads popped up through the back of Nightmare Freddy's collar, They stared at the man with beady red eyes and bore a strong resemblance to the Nightmare himself.
"What in God's name are those things!" one of the women asked hysterically, before Nightmare Chica appeared before her and grasped the woman by the throat whilst she pinned her up against the wall.
"Shhh, you don't really need to know, it'll serve you no purpose," the Nightmare whispered, her tone was soothing and yet harsh at the same time as her eyes bore into the woman's velvet green.
Then Nightmare Foxy rounded in on the second man, raising his hook arm in an aggressive manner as he forced the man up against the wall like the first woman, threatening to do serious harm if he dared to try and escape.
"Death will hopefully be swift for you laddie, but no one will remember you, you were chosen precisely because of that fact."
The man was too terrified to muster a response, going pale white in the face as he trembled uncontrollably in the Nightmare's shadow. Nightmare Foxy smiled, with his reddish brown eyes narrowing in an expression of amusement, as he muttered softly.
"Don't worry, your body will be put to a good cause, I'll guarantee it."
Then lastly Nightmare Bonnie seized the second woman, forcing her down onto the floor, straddling her as she growled in a low tone; scaring the woman into submission and silencing her from speaking for the fear of causing a very nasty reaction from the Nightmare.
"Finally, our limbo has come to an end and we can become more than mere twisted reflections. . .freedom is waiting for us on the other side," she whispered, with the woman's eyes only becoming more wide with each passing second as Nightmare Bonnie's eyes glowed in eager anticipation of what would soon follow.
Now was the time, their long wait was at an end, a new chapter was beginning in their story and its start would be a truly horrifying affair. . .
"Try not to fight back, let it happen, you cannot win, just try to relax," Nightmare Chica whispered in a soft tone as if she was trying to relax the woman, but her tone was really having the obvious effect with the woman looking more and more panicked.
However, she only started overtly freaking out when several orageny yellow thread like strings slithered out of Nightmare Chica's eyes.
The Nightmare's grip on the woman instantly tighten to prevent the woman from struggling.
The strings slithered and snaked through the air, getting closer and closer and putting the woman even more on edge. Equally, Nightmare Foxy had started to unleash his strings, brownish red ones that twirled in the air as they moved down slowly towards the man, aiming directly for his eyes.
The strings were the key and the man's eyes were the door to a much wider world beyond this prison of a house. The man seemed to try and speak, but he seemed to be ridden with blind terror that his mind was probably paralysed.
Similarly, Nightmare Bonnie was also revealing her strings as several bluish purple threads flowed out of her eyes as they lowered themselves down in the straight direction of the other woman's eyes. The Nightmare held the woman firmly in a strong grip, more than enough to prevent any attempt by her to resist, although she could see the desire to escape the incoming peril in the woman's panic-stricken expression.
"In the end, all that matters to us," Nightmare Freddy said, sounding firm as he coldly gazed down into the first man's terror filled eyes.
"Is getting out of this place, this tomb of a house that we are forced to call home."
The Nightmare smiled in a manner that simply cold and unnerving as dark red strings poured forth from his glowing eyes like snakes as they glided downwards towards the man's eyes. The man himself was trying to struggle, but Nightmare Freddy held him firmly in place, the mere unfolding of the situation seemed to have rendered the man silent in his screams and pleas for mercy.
"We almost got out before, children were the intended target, but unfortunately we had some 'outside interference' before we could acquire them as vessels," he said, sounding both calm and collected, yet he carried an undertone of annoyance, probably because they had gotten so close last time.
"Five years between then and now felt like an entirety for us, but you four will do just right, your lives were empty, you were alone in the world, maybe in death you'll find some form of comfort that'll numb the pain of your existence."
His dark red eyes narrowed, but his smile remained.
"That'll be our reward to you, for your humble sacrifice at the altar."
His voice was still low and soft, yet it held a strong degree of authority in it as he then whispered.
"It'll only hurt for a moment. . ."
SWOOOH!
The four pairs of coloured strings forcefully penetrated into the eyes of all four adults, cutting through like knives as they surged into their minds and crawled through every thought and memory they ever held. The adults screamed in instinctive reaction to the raw amount of pain that surged throughout their heads, as the strings tighten their hold, with the adults' minds becoming a large open door.
The Nightmares themselves growled with eagerness to break through, a feeling of heighten anticipation and excitement at what was soon to come. They felt these feelings before, when they were trying to possess that group of children that they able to lure into Limbo.
They had almost succeeded, but that 'thing' broke in and ruined everything.
This time, there was no chance of that happening again, mistakes had been learnt and this time the barrier would be breached.
They tore through their minds like it was no effort, mentally melding their minds together, whilst a more horrifying transformation was taking place. As their minds began to connect in a painful process, their bodies started to fade away together, but it looked as if they were merging or melting into eachother as it happened and it brought more agony to the adults, who were being subjected to ever worsening rounds of torture. As they all faded away completely, their souls linked together, with the souls of the adults traveling back towards their bodies, with the Nightmares' souls following close behind.
Yet the worst aspect of the bonding was saved for the end.
The portal closed behind the band of souls as they exited from the mouth of Soul Stealer, flying straight towards the four motionless and immobile bodies of the four adults that were chained upright against the far wall. There was a loud metallic groan as Soul Stealer immediately started to shut down, letting out a noisy hum with its various components slowing down before ceasing to function entirely.
However, focus was on what was happening to the adults' bodies as several sounds erupted into being.
Screams, ear piercing screams as all four bodies started jerking and stretching in a very painful manner. Their faces were a collective expression of immense agony as they felt themselves being hollowed out and crushed, as if they were being pushed underwater and kept there until they drowned. All the four adults could feel was never ending fear and heart pumping adrenaline in their desperation to stay alive and hold on, but the souls of the Nightmares were stronger and held them down, repressing them into oblivion. However, the ongoing physical transformation was the most terrifying and painful aspect of the takeover.
Their bodies started to twist and morph in the agonising sensation of there being something foreign inside them ripping their bodies apart and reforming it. Steadily, the new changes began to take shape, with their hands and feet were the first parts to change, as the hands lengthen, looking as if the bone and skin was being stretched out in the same way that pasty is thinned out with a rolling pin and it looked strained as it struggled to compel with the demand of the new occupant. The nail expanded too, shifting into the ends of pointed daggers. Their feet also lengthen in size, but not as much as the hands had, so they caused the least amount of pain.
The rest of the body, that being the legs, arms generally remained the same size minus a few alterations in length. However, it was on their faces where most of the transformation took place, as their facial features were morphed beyond imagination. The feeling of their jaw bones being broken in many places caused them to cry out even more as their mouths were violently reshaped to match those the new occupants. In extreme agony their teeth were transformed, shifting in the gums as they expanded in size, becoming sharp and jagged.
In addition, the mouths of those being possessed by Nightmares Bonnie, Foxy gained at least another jaw. Whilst the woman being possessed by Nightmare Chica was going through absolute hell, as her mouth was painfully expanded upon to make room for another two, making space for three rows of razor sharp teeth. The man that Nightmare Foxy was possessing had to feel his teeth being turned in fangs as his entire mouth screamed in agony as the horrifying process felt unending.
Their ears changed as well, excluding the woman that Nightmare Chica was possessing which remained the same, but for the other adults, their ears underwent some twisted changes. For two of them their ears lengthen in size but were physically reshaped, with all the bones cracking and reforming. Then there was a terrifying sound that echoed inside their heads as a pair of brown bear and red fox ears morphed into being, with both looking tattered. For the woman that Nightmare Bonnie was possessing, she experienced the worst change. Her human ears became fused to her head, before being painful absorbed, then in a cry of untold agony as she felt head throb, two withered bluish bunny ears burst out of the top of her crown covered in blood as they wobbled uncontrollably amidst the carnage.
Finally, there was their eyes, those being the last part of them to change. Four visible pair of pupils that expressed a range of fear, terror, horror, dread and desperation slowly died away, with their respective colours fading out.
They were now lost to the shadows. . .
In their place and slowly growing bright were a fierce array of dark red, reddish brown, orangey yellow and bluish purple pupils that soon shone out of the surrounding darkness. At the same time, Nightmare Freddy's three Freddies materialised into being within his suit, although they wouldn't be the same as they were in Limbo, due to some unforeseen error. Equally, Nightmare Chica's cupcake formed into being, landing perfectly in the Nightmare's hand, however it was knocked out cold because of the strain of the journey.
Then the brightness of the Nightmares' eyes died down, to a more relaxed level as the new occupants started to look around in a rapid fashion. As the effects of the painful transformation started to die down, there was complete silence.
Until. . .they took their first breath, slowly inhaling before exhaling with the fresh air filtering back into their newly acquired lungs.
They had made it, they had finally succeeded in breaking free from that dreaded house, although they knew that their chains to Tommy still existed, but now they could start to break those too and become. . .complete.
Then two new voices suddenly erupted into being out of the darkness before them, which instantly caught their collective attention.
"How fantasising, truly breathing, what they've have become."
"I am pleased to see that you are amazed mister Afton," another voice said, sounding rather glad and yet it a dominant edge to it as it spoke, clearly leading the conversation.
"Overall, the operation was a complete success, it seems that the phrase 'giving gifts giving life' has true meaning after all," the man known as Afton replied, coming over as both shocked and joyful at what he was seeing.
Then the second voice spoke again, sounding congratulatory, but it held a dark undertone.
"You've upheld your end of the bargain mister Afton, now we shall uphold our end. . .in due time of course."
And then that dark undertone became more manifest as it continued.
"Together, we will break the cycle and bring closure for everyone. . .on our terms."
This would be the first of many conversations between Vincent Afton and the figure they would bear witness to from the side-lines. Yet they were here, in the flesh, a twisted mixture of the dark side of the human condition personified in physical form.
Finally, they could begin. . .
Nightmare Bonnie felt herself come to as Nightmares Freddy, Chica and Foxy removed their claws from her head, breaking the mental bond between them.
The fear that she had felt before revisiting the memory of their escape had faded significantly. Given what they had put those people through, there was little to no chance of them ever returning. Nightmare Bonnie breathed a long sigh of relief at the fact, with her fear now rapidly subsiding, as she felt a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders.
"So, are you satisfied, feeling any better dear?" Nightmare Chica asked, she sounded concerned, but also confident in what the answer would be.
"I feel more reassured, the thought won't distract me anymore," Nightmare Bonnie, leaning back into Nightmare Chica's embrace.
"These bodies are ours forever. . ."
"Glad to hear that N-Bonnie, because things are about get serious," Nightmare Freddy stated, standing before Nightmare Bonnie with his arms folded. He spoke with a firm tone, but the expression on his face was relaxed as he continued.
"We have no internal threats in the literal sense."
"Unless you count self-doubt," Nightmare Foxy muttered dismissively under his breath, although no one seemed to have heard him.
"So although your fear is understandable given what happened to N-Fredbear, it is mostly groundless in our circumstances," Nightmare Chica said cheerfully, further hugging Nightmare Bonnie in a tight grip, to which the latter disliked as she pried the Nightmare's claws off her chest.
"Still, I wonder, if any of you remember. . ."
Her tattered bunny ears dropped slightly as she spoke with a serious tone, with her eyes giving off the expression of someone lost in deep thought.
"When Tommy's eyes flickered, back when we are actively hunting him?"
"His eyes still flicker now," Nightmare Foxy remarked casually, not sensing the seriousness in Nightmare Bonnie's tone.
"We know why, it happens whenever. . .you know," he trailed off, muttering something unheard by the others.
"Still, all of this effort to break free from someone who effectively has the ability to decide our fate if he really wanted to," Nightmare Bonnie commented, still sounding serious, but her voice was low.
"Yes, it is an immense amount of effort, but we know 'why' he doesn't want to decide our fate," Nightmare Chica said plainly, standing up straight as she rested her claws on Nightmare Bonnie's shoulders.
"Besides, he hates himself given what happened in his life, the torment that he endured has left him fragmented, just barely holding himself together at times," she remarked casually.
"In many ways we should be grateful that our situation is not as worse as it could have been," Nightmare Freddy said, sounding rather solemn.
"It easily could have been," Nightmare Foxy muttered, his eyes looked downcast, but his tone was serious.
"You remember. . .right?"
Nightmare Freddy looked away, staring out at the rising sun that was partly covered by the clouds.
He knew what Nightmare Foxy was referring to, back in the near beginning, when they first entered Limbo. They were completely self-aware by that point, but had a certain agreement not been made, then the Nightmares themselves wouldn't even exist if the situation had fully spiralled out of their control.
"Thankfully Nightmare Fredbear knew how to be diplomatic," he remarked, casting his mind back to that turbulent time.
"And as a result, we gained the capability to focus on getting to this point."
He then turned to look back at the other three Nightmares, with his dark red eyes briefly darting about before speaking.
"Yet despite our lack of opposition from Tommy, our ties to him are tough to break and until those are removed, we need him to exist, ironically he is both our lifeline and jailer, be it a reluctant jailer at best."
Nightmare Foxy then looked as if he was going to say something and there was a serious look in his eyes, but he relented, choosing to say nothing. Yet Nightmare Freddy could guess as to what he was going to say, however he didn't feel the need to enquire.
"Still even if we do break free, I suppose that we'll always be mere extensions of his wrapped mind, just the personifications of his bullies," Nightmare Bonnie said plainly and the other three nodded in agreement.
"Therefore, we will never truly be free."
"True, but what matters is for us to break beyond the point where whatever eventually happens to Tommy does not apply to the rest of us," Nightmare Chica replied modestly, burrowing her head into Nightmare Bonnie's shoulder for comfort.
"That for me is freedom, and in the end both us and Tommy will get our happy ending, our happiest day."
Nightmare Chica's words made Nightmare Freddy smile and his eyes lit up.
"I agree N-Chica, that is freedom and soon enough we'll have it, besides hardily no one else will know who were based on, when we all get out, we'll have a clean page to write our lives in."
"You make it sound so fairy tale like laddie, where's the blood and gore?" Nightmare Foxy demanded, pointing his hook hand in a defiant manner at Nightmare Freddy, who smiled sinisterly, before replying with.
"In due time N-Foxy, but we won't have to wait too long."
Nightmare Foxy gave a small smile, but it was his brown red eyes that fully expressed his hunger for carnage.
"Out of all of you, I certainly won't be able to cast off my origins, especially given who I am based on and their relationship to Tommy," he said, although he sounded like he accepted it, more than he hated it, much to the surprise of the other Nightmares.
"Either way, we are certainly not as panic stricken as we used to be, back when we became fully self-aware and were desperate to break outside whilst we continued to torment Tommy," Nightmare Bonnie remarked plainly, but there was a degree of sternness in her voice.
"I now think about it, a good portion of our rage probably originated from our hatred of being tied to him and our inability to escape the house, he was and still is a good punching bag," Nightmare Freddy said, seeming to enjoy the memory of those moments when he would terrorise the poor boy to the point of death, only that Tommy could never truly die, but just constantly suffer.
"Like I told Balloon Boy, when we saw the big picture, we wished that we could go back to being mindless beasts, truly ignorance is bliss," Nightmare Chica muttered, she sounded sad.
"We just wanted to escape, to stay alive and Tommy was caught in the middle of it all," Nightmare Foxy commented in an understanding tone, although his eyes looked cold as he spoke.
"It was a terrifying period to say the least. . ."
Nightmare Bonnie glanced up to meet the distant eyes of Nightmare Freddy, who turned to face her once he realised that she was staring at him.
"Back then, we were as trapped as Tommy was, for the first time we were all on the same page," she said slowly, sounding somewhat downcast.
Yet Nightmare Freddy gave her a small smile, as he felt the urge to cast his mind back to those chaotic days.
"Yes," he began calmly.
"And if us being half alive was the end result should we have crawled our way out of that dammed labyrinth of a house, then we would have taken it without question."
Nightmare Bonnie smiled and nodded at his words, but internally she felt as though Nightmare Freddy's description of their former mental state was an understatement and not an embellishment. Still, like Nightmare Freddy she could feel her mind casting itself back down memory lane. Back towards that frenzied and anarchic period that welcomed their arrival to sentience.
(Begin the song here).
In the shadows of the FNAF 4 house, we see the faint outlines of the Nightmares, prowling about the empty hallways.
The dim light bounces off their sharp claws and the bright menacing glow of their eyes flicker in and out of the darkness.
"Vessels of enjoyment, for the servants of my pain."
Their origins are entrenched into every aspect of their being.
"Ghosts of rusted silhouettes, the system knows my name."
All they desire is to inflict never-ending pain on Tommy.
"What's lies behind the eyes that always follow?"
They are monsters to the core, yet they are soulless and empty creatures.
"Is there a heart inside or are you hollow?"
Suddenly, we are flying through the house, moving down twisted hallways lined by an endless series of doors, and diving through multiple floors as we descend into the bowls of the house.
Deeper and deeper we go. . .
"Puppets pulled by strings, a cursed circus underground."
Demented and childish laughter can be heard echoing all around.
"Find escape in silence, haunted echoes in the sound."
We see Tommy with him violently jerking and twitching, as his eyes flicker between blue and red.
"If I'm the ending to this exhibition. . ."
Behind him several pair of eyes burn out of the surrounding darkness.
"Survival overcomes all superstition."
The Nightmares tug hard on their chains in a vicious manner.
"Free, I want to break free, from knowing you!"
They scream in open frustration and fear.
"Somewhere in the dark a voice is screaming, one of us is going to leave here bleeding!"
The house forms around them, forever shifting.
"Breathe, I'm trying to breathe, inside of this."
Locking both the jailer and prisoners inside together.
"Trap you set to keep me from the daylight."
Yet it cannot last.
"Fighting for my life tonight, 'cause I'm still alive!"
We see the Nightmares hammering away against the doors and windows in their furry and desperation to escape.
Claw and bite marks are visible everywhere in a bid to find an opening or to create one.
Demonic and childish laughter echoes from every direction.
We then see a chair in a room surrounded by plushies of the Nightmares and Tommy hanging from various strings like puppets.
We finally see Tommy sitting on the bed, hugging his plushie of Fredbear, as a shadowy figure stands before him.
We see the face masks of Tommy's bullies, slowly morphing into the Nightmares themselves.
"Portraits of the monsters, show the malice by design."
We see Nightmare Fredbear trying to pry the front door open.
"Keeping onwards fearful that, I'm running out of time."
The door fights against him, as he catches glimpses of the outside world.
"The struggle to escape is growing harder."
His growing rage will be dumped on Tommy.
"This victim of the night won't be a martyr."
He jumpscares the boy, hoping to kill him and break the cycle.
"Free, I want to break free, from knowing you!"
Freedom by any bloody means.
"Somewhere in the dark a voice is screaming, one of us is going to leave here bleeding!"
We see a bloodied Tommy crawling away.
"Breathe, I'm trying to breathe, inside of this."
But the Nightmare grabs his leg and drags him back into the shadows.
"Trap you set to keep me from the daylight."
Freedom by any price.
"Fighting for my life tonight, cause I'm still alive!"
The desperation to escape builds and builds, as the Nightmares become more frantic in their attempts.
"Cause I'm still alive!"
Endless jump scares and near death beatings, in a labyrinth with no exit, as we see Tommy looking out of the windows into the vast darkness of Limbo.
"I'm staying alive. . .for even just one more moment, the chance won't pass me by."
He looks vacant and distant as all sense of time has left him.
"The passing of time. . ."
Predator like eyes appear out of the dark behind him.
"Ghosts in the shadows watch me."
Tommy sighs deeply, death did not end his torment.
"Tonight, I can't seem to survive."
They come for him, like they always do. . .his nightmares.
"Free, I want to break free, from knowing you!"
The Nightmares surround him.
"Somewhere in the dark a voice is screaming, one of us is going to leave here bleeding!"
The outcome is clear.
"Breathe, I'm trying to breathe, inside of this."
They are entombed together.
"Trap you set to keep me from the daylight."
They want to be free, just like him.
"Fighting for my life tonight, 'cause I'm still alive!"
As they attack, they flicker between themselves and his bullies, as memory and reality are fused together.
They rip him apart, cutting him into pieces, only for him to be put back together like always.
"Cus I'm still alive!"
They loathe their dependency on him, for what is freedom when one is bound to another.
And they fear that fact beyond anything else.
"Cus I'm still alive!"
His creations, they'll never be free of him.
As long he is still here. . .they will always come back.
"Cus I'm still alive!"
We see plushies of the Nightmares chained to a plushie of Tommy, as they all dangle on strings like a baby mobile.
The chains look worn, old and strained, but are not broken.
The song slowly fades out as we see the eyes of the Tommy plushie flicker between blue and red, with it twitching as if it is in agony.
The lights down die and everything goes dark.
(Song ends).
Nightmare Bonnie allowed herself to slump back into the chair as she felt Nightmare Chica's claws leave her neck, signalling that she was now standing upright.
"Tommy cannot move on lassie, unless something fundamental were to unexpectedly shift to cause such an outcome," Nightmare Foxy remarked confidently, although he looked serious as he spoke.
Nightmare Bonnie smiled, feeling reassured at Nightmare Foxy's words.
"We wanted out, we were scared, and we've been running from that fear ever since," Nightmare Freddy said, still leaning back against the cockpit desk as he gazed down at Nightmare Bonnie. His expression was one of calm and he was clearly in reflecting back still, although he was focused enough to talk.
"All ten of us have feared that outcome, but currently we are dictating how the game is being played right now."
He smiled, seeming to be confident, yet he wasn't prideful as he usually was.
"If we play our cards right, then we get the outcome we want, the slate will be wiped clean."
His dark red eyes lit up with anticipation as he spoke.
"We can win."
"Aye laddie and win big for once!" Nightmare Foxy exclaimed, waving his hook hand in excitement.
"It's been stalemate after stalemate with those dam Fazbears, things need to change," he declared eagerly and there was fire in his eyes, his impatience was obvious.
"It will N-Foxy," Nightmare Chica muttered as she smiled in contemplation of what the near future held.
"We will have salvation as will Tommy, everything we've done up to this point will be worth it."
Then her smile deepened, becoming creepy as her yellowy orange eyes burned with a strong desire for bloodlust.
"Besides, we can have a bit more 'fun' along the way and even more 'fun' when we're at last running free," she remarked in a playful tone that thinly veiled a sinister intent underneath its warmth.
"Our retirement," Nightmare Bonnie said playfully, smiling as she felt Nightmare Chica's claw gently stroke her hair.
"Something to look forward when all of these challenges are behind us, although I can't recall whether each one was the most difficult," Nightmare Bonnie said, trying to think back, although most things seemed to be a blur between then and now.
"Speaking of challenges," Nightmare Freddy began, he smiled again with a devious look in his eyes before continuing.
"Vincent says that he has something he would like to show us before we officially begin the day."
"He's says that'll be 'twisted'."
Now he had their attention, as all three Nightmares instantly turned in his direction, their collective expression was one of immense interest. Internally Nightmare Freddy laughed to himself at the sight of their complete devotion to his every word, even though he was not the leader of the Nightmares he could still command authority within the group.
"He told me that he has been working on a few things that could really aid us for what happens next," he said in an exciting manner to maintain their attention.
Genuinely he was interested to see what Vincent had in store.
"Besides, in a few hours we'll be meeting our 'much respected' adversaries, so we might as well fill our time by engaging in something constructive," he remarked, gesturing towards the cockpit doorway.
"Sure, as long it is interesting then I'll bite," Nightmare Chica replied, before immediately turning to take her leave.
"As long it doesn't overshadow our role," she muttered, earning a laugh from Nightmare Foxy.
"Jealous lassie?" he enquired, sounding greatly amused as he stepped forward to stand beside her.
Nightmare Chica rolled her eyes and replied modestly.
"Just a little, after all I thought that we were the real monsters, being literal twisted interpretations of real-life bullies."
"Ha, we'll always be monsters N-Chica and nothing can replace us, although there were those who tired," Nightmare Foxy remarked, patting her on the back as she exited the room with him following on behind.
"Yeah and on both accounts, we were utterly terrified to our core," Nightmare Chica sourly muttered, as she and Nightmare Foxy headed down towards Vincent's room.
That just left Nightmares Freddy and Bonnie alone.
"Are you feeling any better?" Nightmare Freddy asked, he sounded plain as he spoke, but in his eyes Nightmare Bonnie could see that he was concerned.
She smiled in response as she pushed herself up straight.
"Yes, much better, my doubts are mostly gone, I can focus without referring back to them constantly," she said, brushing her bluish purple hair away from her eyes.
Nightmare Freddy smiled as he pushed himself off the cockpit desk, now that he was standing before her.
"Might as well join the others and see what marvels Vincent has made for us," Nightmare Bonnie said as she stood up and turned to go. However, she instantly felt Nightmare Freddy's claw touch her shoulder and she turned back to face him. His eyes were serious, and his smile had gone, to be replaced with a blank stare.
"You know that Tommy isn't unguarded right?" he asked, his voice sounded plain, but there was an undertone of concern.
"Yes, I know that," she answered modestly, before turning her head back to look in his direction.
"And furthermore, we owe to the others to succeed, it's our duty."
She then genuinely smiled, and her beauty shone through and one could almost forget her brutal inner nature.
"So, if you think that I'll become unfocused when it really matters, then you have no need to worry, I am fine N-Freddy."
Nightmare Freddy smiled back as he then walked forward, bypassing her as he headed for the open doorway.
"That's all I ever wanted to hear," he said, sounding rather pleased with her answer as no doubt it calmed his own inner fears.
"You know," Nightmare Bonnie began, following him out of the door.
"Back in our early days N-Fredbear did often say that tomorrow was just another day."
Her words somehow made Nightmare Freddy chuckle with amusement as his eyes lit up with interest.
"Yes, he did say that quite often if I recall correctly," he remarked, clearly humoured.
"Yet today should be the most important day of all."
"You mean our happiest day?" Nightmare Bonnie asked, sounding confused, but a certain degree of hope rang in her eyes. However, Nightmare Freddy shook his head in disagreement, yet he kept his playful smile as he turned back to face her.
"No, not exactly, but if things do go according to plan. . ."
Then his smile turned serious, as his eyes now expressed delight as he spoke his next words.
"Then we will have entered the endgame."
To ChaoticEngle, your reference to DHMIS with Tommy being Roy and the Nightmares being Red Guy is a fairly accurate way to describe their relationship, although Tommy clearly isn't dominant over the Nightmares.
Also, from this point onwards the story is going to really start moving, although we have a fair distance to go until the end. ;-)
Please review, I appreciate your feedback, even if it is small. :-)