Hey all, here's another chapter, a bit earlier than expected, but I wanted to get this one out as the story is now finally moving forward.
I read the 'Into the Pit' book and I loved it!
Great stories and interesting scenarios, I suspect that Scott might use some of the book's elements in the FNAF 2020 game, but that's just my theory. ;-)
And in a few days time the 'Fetch' book will be released!
Either way, this chapter does go over my 10,000 word limit, but I needed to round things out to properly conclude the chapter and avoid any continity errors.
As usual I appolgise for any grammar mistakes that I've missed, but there shouldnt be too many.
A massive thank you to AugustFrost and ChaoticEngie for your reviews, I always appreciate them. :-)
Through Springtrap's return, we shall explore the more supernatural and hidden elements of the story. Although I want to make it clear that I am aware of how his return could undermine the impact of his demise on both the readers and in-universe characters, so I am handling his return to the story with great care, so it isn't a cheap move done to simply back a much loved character.
I have mapped out the way forward, although it requires alot of fine detail to perfect, but rest assured Engie, the points you've raised about it are being incorpated into the writing, again thanks for your thoughts.
The victories that the villains win do lose some of their effects rather quickly and looking back through the story I can see where you're coming from, but I do intend for them to stack up and influence the story on a more subtle level.
Glad you like the backstories that I've given to the ghost children August, it takes time but it is worth the effort and it is nice to give them a human face instead of just hanging about in the background, it would have diminished the tragedy of their existence.
A massive thank you to both TrimusicaDrag00n90 and Krogull for favouriting this story, glad that you're enjoying it. :-)
There isn't a song in this chapter, I don't wish to over use them, but there is a song that I wanted to use in a previous chapter that I will implement in the next one. ;-)
Enjoy. . .
Chapter 47.
Pizzeria Masquerade.
"Run if you can. . ."
"They are lurking everywhere beside you there; did you see them demons in disguises?"
"Oh my, is it too late?"
"To escape this game, that we made especially for you?"
"Do you really even have a clue, that this is your fate!"
'Do You Even'? by ChaoticCanineCulture (CK9C) and Elizabeth Ann.
It was 2:45pm, only a quarter of an hour until the 'supposed' meeting with the Nightmares.
All the Fazbears, including Mike and Jeremy had gathered around the kitchen table in order to hammer out the inner details of the plan.
At its head sat Goldie, drawing on a piece of paper with a pen.
When he was done, he laid back in his chair, allowing the others to see what he had drawn, yet all they saw was a massive circle.
They looked at Goldie in confusion.
"That," he began, pointing at the circle with an outstretched hand.
"Is the dream world and everything outside it is in the real world."
"So, ideally a small number of us enters the dream world and keeps the Nightmares' attention fixed on them, we lure them into a false sense of security and then as the rest of us come in, those already in the dream world trap the Nightmares so they can't escape?" Freddy questioned, laying out the detail for everybody.
"Are you sure that they will buy it though, won't they sense a trap?" Chica asked, running her fingers lightly along the circle's outline.
"They have huge egos, but they are not stupid that's for sure, whoever goes in needs to put on a convincing act."
"Trust me Chica, they won't get suspicious," Foxy remarked.
"Why?" she asked, turning to him.
"Because they don't know that we can lucid dream, for example, the last time any Nightmare met us in a dream was with BB, but we couldn't lucid dream at that point, in fact we didn't even know that such a possibility existed."
He then raised his hook in a statesman like manner.
"They believe that they hold superiority in the dream world and let's be honest here, what's the Nightmares' main characteristic?"
Puppet hit the nail on the head.
"Superiority complex."
"Agreed," Toy Freddy added, folding his arms.
"We don't need to act Chica, just be normal and their high opinion of themselves will do the work for us," Foxy finished.
Chica thought it over before answering.
"I like your answer Foxy, but my main concern was, would they not be surprised with us turning up anyway, because in their minds we've stepped under our own free will onto grounds where they have complete power, you've seen it as I have, they can literally transform the environment around them and bend it to their will."
She turned to the circle and pointed at its centre.
"If I were a Nightmare, I would sense a trap, no one would willingly put themselves in that much danger."
She sighed.
"I am not against the idea, far from it, but I am trying to see it from the Nightmares' perspective, I am worried that they will bail and run before we can even begin."
"Chica, has a point," Mike added, sounding cautious.
"They do know that Goldie can enter dreams as well as pull other people in as showed by how he and Foxy were able to save Chica. Even if we don't display our new gained powers, they wouldn't like the idea of being outnumbered."
That earned several nods of agreement from some people.
"No, they will not run from us."
All eyes turned in the direction of the voice to see Balloon Boy sitting in his chair, he still looked a little frail and pale in the face after his recent incident.
"They called this meeting, they want it and we are expected, why they want it I don't know, maybe they will tell us when we get there."
He slowly gestured over to the paper.
"Given what they did to me, why waste all that energy and effort just to run away from us, and they demanded more than several times that I carry that message."
"I say we go forward with the plan and adapt to whatever comes our way, it will be risky and we will be putting our hands close to the fire, but if we can pull it off, then we will all sleep easy," Mangle stated, bringing her opinion to bear.
One by one everyone agreed to her statement, the end justified the means.
"Ok, first things first," Goldie stated cautiously, as he glanced around the room occupants.
"Who wants to be on the scout team, the ones who will distract the Nightmares?"
Everyone looked at each other.
Toy Bonnie spoke first.
"Given what I've heard from the Nightmares themselves, I believe that they are expecting the Originals to turn up, I base that belief on how they've talked about them."
She turned to face the people in question
"Overall, they see you four as their main rivals, not us."
She then raised her hands up.
"Not, that I want to throw you all into the fire head first."
Bonnie smiled in response, seeing the humour in the Toy's words.
"That's ok, Bonbon, I see your point, after all as Toy Chica did say that they look a lot like us, so in a way we are their mirror image."
"I'm in, mainly so I can wipe the confident smiles off their smug faces," Chica said eagerly, folding her arms in strong defiance.
"Count us both in," Freddy and Foxy both announced together with some semblance of eagerness and determination, clearly following Chica's example.
Goldie appeared to draw their initials as well as that of the Nightmares within the boundaries of the circle.
"So, Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy will enter the dream world and face down Nightmares Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy."
He turned to meet them; everyone's eyes locked.
"You need to bring them into a false sense of security and if you can, find out why they are helping Vincent, but most of all you need to make them think that you'll be all that they'll be facing."
"No one expects the Fazbear Inquisition, fear, surprise and ruthless efficiency," Jeremy joked, Mike smiled, he got the joke. The Fazbears however did not, looking rather confused by Jeremy's reference.
They had never seen or even heard of Monty Python before.
Goldie smiled to himself, he found the other Fazbears' confused reactions to be somewhat humorous.
Yet he continued with what he was previously saying.
"I know this part is complex and in fairness, everything can very easily go to hell once you're inside, I even wonder why I am laying things down as I am, but I fear that it is best to prepare in case."
He sighed, pausing slightly before pointing back at the circle that represented the dream world.
"Once we are all inside, the Originals and I will attempt to pin the Nightmares down, whilst the Toys use their powers to create a shield of sorts which will block their attempts to escape, therefore they cannot wake up and escape, the key point is being able to maintain that shield to keep them pinned in place."
He continued.
"That is properly the part with the most risk, as we'll properly be facing our own fears personified and if the Nightmares think that they're losing, then they will throw everything at us to give them a chance to escape."
"And what about the dead night guards, if they show up?" Bonnie asked cautiously.
"Aye, they would be quite the spanner in the works they would, we can't will them out of existence," Foxy added sombrely.
"And they would be a force to be reckoned with."
"At best, we would just have seriously hinder them, or keep them isolated from everything else, based on Balloon Boy was told by the Nightmares, they guided the night guards into BB's dream, so they probably don't have any actual power whilst in the dreamworld," Toy Bonnie answered.
"It's just their physical strength we would have to concern with."
"So, whether the night guards turn up or not we can deal with them," Goldie began.
"Our main aim is to overpower the Nightmares with our lucid dreaming abilities and then extract as much information as we can from them, preferably by ripping into their minds, just like they did to us."
"I get the strong feeling that the method I used to briefly connect link my mind to Nightmare Freddy's was instinctive, but given how Nightmares Freddy and Bonnie acted, when the latter showed BB her mind strings, it is clearly a skill that they possess.
"If I were to give it a name, it would be called 'mind melding' and somehow it is possible to learn it." Freddy said thoughtfully, trying to make sense of his thoughts and memories. "Given what happened to you Freddy, it probably is instinctive, there isn't a pattern to follow, it just happens, but maybe it is a natural ability for the Nightmares given their origins," Toy Chica muttered casually. "However, it is only fitting that we give them a brutal taste of their own medicine," she said, now sounding very eager at the thought of getting payback.
"Believe me, I would love nothing more than making those sick bastards suffer, if I have a sadistic side, that's when I would show it," Chica added, she had Nightmare Freddy particularly in mind for some nasty torture.
"And then we kill them I assume?" Puppet asked, leaning forward onto the table, she also came across as tempted by the idea.
"Killing them means we have less to deal with and that will give Vincent much reason to worry."
"I am all for that idea," Mangle added with a smile.
However, that brought concern looks from the others.
Mangle had failed to beat her personified fear and that brought risks, which the Nightmares would surely exploit if she was present in the dreamworld.
"However, considering what happened with me, it would be best for the rest of you if I were to stay here, avoid becoming a liability," Mangle said softly, looking rather downcast.
"It's a shame lassie, it really is, I was hoping that you would be able to join us, your quick reflexes and endoskeleton arms would definitely come in handy," Foxy remarked casually, reaching out and patting her on the shoulder. "Thanks Foxy, but at least I will be able to keep an eye on things here and if the worst were to happen, then I can wake you all up," Mangle replied, sounding a bit more confident in her tone, but still sad that she would be missing out.
"We'll keep you company Mangle," Mike said reassuringly, patting her on the head and ruffling her hair, making it all messy.
He and Jeremy had learnt how to lucid dream, but they were to assign to be backup, to go and get the others out of the dreamworld in case things went very wrong.
Plus, they would monitor situation here, in case Vincent really did try to pull something off, whilst most of them were in the dreamworld dealing with the Nightmares.
Guns were a very good solution to an onslaught of endoskeletons and if Vincent dared to show himself then he would face a very hostile reception, but it would force them to fight on two fronts instead of just one. Everyone just hoped that the situation would never get that bad and with the city's lockdown still in force, it would be difficult for anyone to move around with law enforcement occasionally patrolling the streets.
However, with the Fazbears' past experience, it was far better to be safe than sorry.
"So, are there any other questions?" Goldie asked curiously, gazing around the room.
"Any concerns, I know this is risky."
Mike glanced at the oven clock, it was 2:55pm, almost zero hour.
"Guys, I hate to disturb but time's almost up," he announced, getting everyone's attention.
Goldie pushed his chair back and rose to his feet.
"Are we all in on this?"
The collective response was "Yes, we are."
A minute later, Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy and Goldie were all assembled in Freddy's and Bonnie's bedroom.
"Ok, here's some sleeping tablets to help with the process," said Goldie, dropping two white coloured pills into each of the Originals' hands. "Now, if I've figured this out properly then I should be able to sense your emotions whilst you're in there, so I'll have an idea of what's going on, but I wouldn't be there myself, not initially."
"Nor will I do it when you first fall asleep," he added.
"Why?" Freddy asked, although he understood the plan, it still felt as if they were wandering about in the dark.
Goldie paused for a moment, thinking of what to say, before replying.
"Because based on what I saw Nightmare Freddy do after he attacked Chica."
Chica shuddered ever so slightly at the mere mention of the attack, yet she was reassured by Foxy and Bonnie holding both of her hands to steady her.
Goldie continued.
"He actually left the dream and I chased him back to the pizzeria, therefore he must travel in spirit form, leaving his physical body behind, yet that doesn't stop him from seeing what's going on around him and when they turn up and see me watching you four sleep, they will suspect something's up."
He sighed, lowering his head.
"So unfortunately for you four, we will all be spread around different parts of the house doing normal things so to remove suspicion on their part, so effectively for the first five or so minutes you'll be on your own in there."
The very idea of being left alone with their Nightmarish counterparts caused the Originals' hearts to skip several beats.
Goldie placed both his hands on both Freddy's and Chica's shoulders and beckoned Bonnie and Foxy to come closer.
"Don't worry though, once seven minutes are up by which time, they should have entered the dream world, I will come and examine the situation, if you all hold hands together. Then I will be able to get a better picture of the emotional situation, it'll be a form of 'semi-sleep' so you shouldn't feel my presence and hopefully nor should the Nightmares."
"And what if they decided to attack us outright?" Bonnie asked dismissively, raising a very critical issue.
"You said it yourself that this is a very unpredictable situation, the last thing we would do is over-plan, when something goes wrong, it will go wrong."
Goldie frowned, that was a good point and over-planning was a danger in itself.
"Tell you what, I will return in three minutes, that should give us enough breathing space," he replied.
Bonnie smiled, that reassured her of their safety.
"Then again, if they called this meeting, then they will want to talk to us, not kill us," Chica stated, trying to reassure herself. "Well, I'm ready to kick the Nightmares into the next century, for me it's been long overdue," Foxy growled, eager to get started. "We have two minutes left, better get into position then," Goldie muttered, glancing at the clock which sat on one of the bedside tables.
Together Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy all laid down on the bed side by side and gripped their hands together tightly.
They all took their respective sleeping pills and closed their eyes. "I'll be back in three minutes, rest assured that should things get out of control, I will come and pull you all out, we've got your back," Goldie stated confidently, reassuring them of their safety.
"However, most of all do not show your powers, we need to keep the element of surprise, they need to be fooled into thinking that they hold all the cards."
"Understood," Bonnie replied, allowing her mind to drift as the sleeping pills began to take immediate effect.
"Stay together above all else," Goldie ordered.
"Do that and you'll be safe."
And that was the last thing they heard before they fell into the realm of dreams.
Goldie glanced at the clock, it was 14:59, one minute left.
He looked down at the sleeping Fazbears, they looked so peaceful, even though the place where they were going to was anything but peaceful. "Better move into position then," he muttered, turning to leave, knowing that should the Nightmares be true to their word, then they would be here soon.
He left and closed the door behind him, leaving it ajar.
"Out of all things we've done together, this is by far the most serious," he thought, as he headed towards the kitchen. There he would begin a game of cards with Mike and Mangle, to further add to the art of deception that would greet the Nightmares when they arrived.
This move was very risky, there was no denying that, but luckily Goldie knew that they could quickly adapt as the situation evolved. He just prayed that Freddy and the others could handle themselves in those first three minutes. . .
Inside the dream world. . .
Freddy opened his eyes, judging by his immediate surroundings, they were back in the first pizzeria again…home.
"Well, I couldn't think of a better place to talk, considering what happened here all those years ago," Foxy said casually, looking around in interest. Everything was in its place, tables, chairs, the main stage, pirate's cove with its purple star decorated curtains. There was even a pack of party hats placed along the centre of each table from top to bottom.
Yet equally the pizzeria showed significant hallmarks of neglect after being left to deteriorate since its close in the mid nineteen nineties.
"Christ, we have really let this place slide in recent years, just look at all the rot and decay, honestly what's keeping this place together?" Chica sighed.
"We must have violated so many health and safety laws," she muttered bitterly, shaking her head at the dismal sight of the walls which contained many cracks and holes. "Yeah, but what money do we have, we only ever had enough to feed ourselves and even then, that was just because Jeremy and Mike kept on sending us any spare money they're earned by post," Bonnie remarked warmly.
"If we want to relive this place, then we are going to need truckloads of cash to achieve that," Freddy stated, running his hands over worn and faded out 'welcome' posters.
"Remember we have a bad reputation, so we must spend hundreds to thousands of dollars to promote ourselves in a positive light to the public."
"Yeah, I can also see several lawsuits coming our way," Chica added, sighing again, their financial outlook was pretty bad.
"Still," Foxy began warmly.
"There is always hope, it's been thirty years since the Missing Children's incidents, and the Bites of 1983 and 1987, we've lived in the shadows of those events, but nothing bad lasts forever."
Foxy turned to face Freddy.
"There's always light at the end of tunnel," he said, smiling.
Bonnie chuckled at Foxy's words.
"Yeah, we're still here."
She looked around, glancing at their home, which was rifled with old age and a dark history.
"We can rebuild."
"So, do we just stand here and ask the Nightmares various questions when they turn up?" Chica asked, sounding confused.
"In all honesty Chica, I have no idea of how we get them to talk about their alliance with Vincent, better yet how do we tell if they're lying?" Freddy enquired, throwing another question into the mix. "I would hate to play the guessing game, but we could try and use what they told BB to verablly corner them and expose their lies," Foxy suggested curiously.
"If they tired to mislead us, then they will contradict themselves and we can call them out on it."
"Indeed Foxy, that would be the best way to filter out their lies," Freddy muttered.
"Although the threat of physical force could always help," Chica suggested playfully, earning a small smile from the others. "Not now Chica, later, when the moment is right," Bonnie replied plainly, although there was an undertone of eagerness in her voice, evident of her desire to get even with the Nightmares.
In casting her eyes around, she soon found the clock, sited just above the main stage.
It had just gone three.
Yet there was nothing, an uneasy silence settled over the group.
"Well, either this was a massive stitch up on their part, or they don't know anything about being on time," Chica muttered, sounding slightly annoyed as she folded her arms.
Again, there was nothing but a cold hard silence.
There were no Nightmares.
"Well, I now have the suspicion that this was all a ruse on the Nightmares' part, whilst we're in here, they probably about to attack us at home," Foxy groaned, feeling annoyed that they have been outwitted. Freddy sighed, the sense of humiliation was annoying, almost as much as that rumbling noise…wait… where was that coming from?
Then they all noticed the noise as the rumble quickly turned into an earthquake and soon the entire pizzeria was shaking wildly like a plastic bag in a force five hurricane.
"WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL!" Freddy yelled; this was completely unexpected.
The rumbling and shuddering of the earth only grew louder as everything around them shook violently.
Chairs and tables rattled in all directions, pots and pans in the kitchen slid about everywhere at once, light stands swung violently from their holdings and the inner pipes creaked and groaned as the entire building was stretched and compressed to its breaking point. Then a harsh and unforgiving wind blew in out of nowhere, ripping up numerous chairs and tables and flinging them in all directions, most ended up smashing against the surrounding walls.
"EVERYONE DUCK, GET DOWN ON THE FLOOR NOW!" Foxy yelled, pushing Chica to the floor and pinning her in place with his body as a witch's storm hurled about above them.
Bonnie only had enough time to pull Freddy down to the floor before a chair whooshed over him and impacted itself into the wall behind them, breaking itself apart into thousands of small wooden fragments. The Originals hugged the floor as everything around them rapidly descended into utter chaos, it was like something out of the Wizard of Oz. Of course, with the noise being generated, it was next to impossible to hear one another and even when they crawled up next to each other and shouted into one another's ear, it still resulted in nothing.
"IS THIS THE NIGHTMARES' DOING?" Bonnie shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth as she yelled into Chica's ear.
"WELL, WHO ELSE WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS!" she shouted back.
"I HOPE WE ARE NEAR TO THREE MINUTES, BECAUSE THIS IS ABSOLUTE CHAOS!" Freddy bellowed, hoping that the others would hear him despite the howls and roars of the hurricane like storm that filled the pizzeria.
"GUYS, GUYS, DO YOU HEAR THAT?" Foxy cried, putting his hand to his ear, out of the four, he had the best hearing.
"WHAT DO YOU HEAR?" Chica asked, having to scream her question into his ear.
"SOMETHING, BUT IT IS NOT WILD LIKE THIS STORM," Foxy replied, his answer confused Chica, what could he hear exactly?
However, she soon caught into his meaning as the storm's cries appeared to die down, only to be replaced by something else…something which upon hearing it sent shivers up her spine. Four voices, all singing in harmony, yet they sounded demonic, cheerful and not all that too dissimilar from their own.
"WE'LL…MEET AGAIN, DON'T KNOW WHERE, DON'T KNOW WHENNN!"
Suddenly, amidst the howls of the storm, there was a flash of immense bright light from the direction of the stage. It was so bright that it momentarily blinded the Fazbears, as they were unable to shield their eyes in time.
They all forced themselves to look at the floor to prevent any serious damage to their vision. However, the light immediately died down and mostly noticeably so did the storm, fading out to the point at which it no longer existed, almost as if it never happened. Although the huge chaotic mess it left behind was an obvious clue.
Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy slowly raised their heads, an impressive sight met their eyes.
For there on the stage before them, as clear as day, was Nightmare Foxy, sitting down behind a professional set of drums.
Then there was Nightmare Chica, standing next to him with what appeared to be a nightmarish version of Chica's cupcake in her hand, whilst her other was set on a beautiful wooden crafted piano. She was also wearing the same clothes, all worn out and rugged, in fact it seemed that the Nightmares' clothes appeared to be reflecting that of the Fazbears, just like their personalities did.
Everything acted like a mirror.
On the other side of the stage was Nightmare Bonnie, carrying a fine-looking guitar, only with a skull and cross bones symbol at the very end.
And finally standing between the two, but slightly in front was Nightmare Freddy himself, with an efficient, polished microphone in his hand. "OH, I KNOW WE'LL MEET AGAIN, SOME SUNNY DAY!" he sang as the other Nightmares played out the last tunes from their respective instruments from a song that none of the Originals recognised, although it did sound playful.
Then the Nightmares all bowed as one would do before an actual audience.
Once done, Nightmare Freddy reached up and proceeded to straighten his writhed top hat.
"Well hello again!" he said eagerly, grinning at the Originals like a Cheshire Cat.
"Are you ready for round two?"
The wooden floorboards creaked as Goldie walked down the corridor towards Freddy's and Bonnie's bedroom.
"Hopefully things haven't gone south," he thought as he neared the door, he had left the game of cards behind, to 'go and see where the Originals were'.
He knocked on their bedroom door.
"Guys, are you in there?" he called, keeping up with the illusion.
When he got no answer, which he expected, he slowly pushed the door fully open. He smiled when he saw them all lying in bed together.
"Ahh, so you are asleep then," he muttered, acting all surprised as he entered the room.
Upon reaching them, he laid his hand out on top of Freddy's head, stroking his soft brown hair. Secretly though, he pushed up his hand into Freddy's skull and reached out with his mind, tapping into Freddy's emotional state through the physical link he had created.
In doing so, he entered some form of semi-sleep, as his eyes closed and his mind expanded as he reached out towards the other Fazbears, trying to read their emotions so he could understand what was going on in there.
At first, he could sense Freddy, he felt cautious, wary, as if he was being watched. Then there was Bonnie, her emotions consisted of being attentive and nervousness. Chica felt scared above anything, properly because of what Nightmare Freddy had done to her. And lastly Foxy felt angry, yet at the same there was a strong element of the need to keep calm.
Overall the collective feeling was one of awareness and not letting anyone's guard down.
Goldie narrowed his eyes as he reached out even further, looking beyond the Fazbears.
Nothing, he felt nothing, still nothing, again just an empty stillness.
Then. . .he felt it, something evil and cold, but only for the briefest of seconds. He sensed his mind recoil sharply from contact, the same way someone instantly removes their hand the moment they touch a very hot object.
It was Nightmare Freddy, he was in the dream and therefore so must be Nightmares Bonnie, Chica and Foxy.
They had taken the bait, a good start.
Goldie retreated out of semi-sleep, allowing himself to fully return to the real world. He turned around, headed for the door, leaned out into the hallway and called for Balloon Boy. Within seconds BB arrived, having just left the Toys who were watching TV in the lounge, again adding more realism to the illusion.
"Yes, what is it?" he asked, he knew whatever it was that Goldie had to say, it would be important. "Tell everyone else that the Nightmares have entered the dream world with the Originals and to stand by for any sudden emergency," Goldie ordered to which BB nodded in confirmation.
"I will remain here to monitor the situation, should anything serious arise then I will call you."
"Sure thing," Balloon Boy replied confidently, before turning around and running off back down the corridor to inform the others.
Goldie meanwhile returned his attention to the Originals.
"Ok," he mentally muttered.
"We just have to sit and watch. . .for now."
Freddy slowly pushed himself off the floor, pulling Bonnie up alongside him, likewise Foxy was doing the same as was Chica.
After dusting themselves down, they meet the Nightmares' gaze. Freddy's eyes briefly glanced at the clock, it was now 15:03, good, Goldie should be watching them now.
"We're ready for round two, or round three, or hell even round four if you want us to be?" Bonnie stated adamantly, glaring at her Nightmarish counterpart. Nightmare Bonnie smiled sweetly, clearly she was enjoying the mood that drifted over from Bonnie.
"Well, that's good to know, we like a challenge," she replied, far too cheerfully for it to be normal, but then again, she was anything but normal.
"So, why did you call us, what's the purpose of this 'meeting'?" Foxy asked suspiciously, gesturing to the area around them.
That was a good place to start.
Nightmares Bonnie, Chica and Foxy all appeared to lean towards Nightmare Freddy and whisper various stuff in his ear, but they were too quiet to be heard correctly.
Nightmare Freddy responded by whispering stuff back at them, obviously, they were structuring their response to Foxy's question.
However, eventually Nightmare Freddy gave an answer.
"It is kind of complex, but the main reason is that we wanted to see if you would actually turn up and then of course we all felt that you want answers to various questions, this game has been going on for quite a while."
So, it was indeed a test as Toy Chica had eluded to, as well as tapping into the desire of them seeking answers.
Then Nightmare Chica spoke up.
"I'm sure you are all confused by recent events, everything is being turned in on its head, isn't it?"
She suddenly glared at Freddy, with her yellowy orange eyes fixed upon him.
"Freddy. . ."
She continued.
"Nightmare Fredbear thought that you would be confused when considering what Goldie has told you."
Freddy's eyes narrowed at Nightmare Chica's words and the latter merely grinned at his expression, she knew that they had been told about the Bite of 1983.
"You thought you knew the past, yet there was clearly more to it, more than you could ever truly hope to realise."
She smiled sweetly, flicking her dark blondish hair back behind her ears and posing victoriously at Freddy.
"Admit it," she demanded.
"I'll admit it without hesitation, I never saw it coming, it was a complete mindfuck, but he had his reasons to hide the truth from us," Freddy remarked, he didn't understand what Nightmare Chica was hoping to gain out this.
"He has nothing to hide from us anymore and if you hoped that uncovering it would break us then you were greatly mistaken."
"Mmm, interesting point, but breaking you lot up wasn't what we expected to do with that fragile piece of information," Nightmare Chica replied, sounding impressed and yet disappointed at the same time.
Then Bonnie intervened and took the conversation off in a different direction.
"Well, we have turned up anyway," she said, sounding eager to move on. She gestured towards the nearby mashed-up piles of tables and chairs which lay scattered around main dining area.
"Care to take a seat, if there are any left?" she asked sarcastically.
Nightmare Foxy's predator like eyes briefly flashed a bright reddish brown, before fading back to normal.
He chuckled, as if he was amused somehow.
"Well raised Bonnie, however, there is no need for seats," he remarked coolly.
"This should be a quick 'affair'."
How exactly?
His choice of words gnawed at Bonnie's curiosity, but she resisted the urge to ask, less he attempt to lead her astray. Then Chica asked a question, the contents of which grabbed Bonnie's attention.
"Was the whole point of dragging Balloon Boy through that nightmare just to give him a message to bring us here?"
"Bringing in the dead night guards and those animatronics, wasn't it all just a bit excessive?" she asked bitterly, and you could see the anger in her eyes. Nightmare Bonnie cocked her head slightly, and like before she wore a sweet smile that seemed to be more cold than warm, possibly betraying her inner thoughts.
"He refused at first, so we had to make him agree, everything was more or less done to push him towards our intended outcome and fear is a very strong motivator for anyone," she said smoothly, not doubting the ingenious of her method.
"Everyone is afraid of something."
"Like you?" Chica inquired coldly, her eyes narrowed at the Nightmare's smile, she loathed the mere sight of it.
"Yes, we are not immune to fear itself, even though we largely embody it," Nightmare Bonnie answered plainly, speaking as though it was common knowledge.
"We already know that you fear death above all other things," Foxy muttered, the anger in his eyes was evident. "If that kid is able to move on before you can break free of him, then you can't exist anymore and that fact must claw away at your ego of being all powerful and the stuff of nightmares," he said cautiously, restraining himself from saying anything that would be more provocative, despite the strong urge to do so.
"True," Nightmare Freddy answered modestly, gesturing to Foxy with his claws.
"I'll be honest with you there, but you are ignoring the fact that the child cannot break free of himself, he is unable to move on."
As he spoke, a creepy smile appears with his dark red eyes glinting with an inner desire for mischief.
"However, you can only die once. . ."
His smile grew as he raised his hand, only for naked electricity to spark and crack into existence between his fingers.
"Care to be reminded of that fact?" he asked deviously.
"I've been reminded more than I can count, I don't need you of all people to set an example," Foxy replied harshly, his eyes conveyed his deep seated anger, he wasn't in the mood to mess around.
"Besides, I thought that we were all here to talk, not fight."
Nightmare Freddy seemed to have got the message, with the electric sparks vanishing from his fingers.
"Fair enough," he muttered casually, lowering his claw.
"This conservation is interesting enough to dissuade me from trying to kill you."
Foxy was about to response, but Freddy intervened, sensing Foxy's anger and his desire to provoke, so he asked another question to pull everyone's attention elsewhere.
"Where did you get all of those animatronics' from, how would you or Vincent have access to their blueprints?"
In truth, Phone Guy's confirmation of the company's expansion plans did cement their existence, but Freddy wanted to know how they gained possession of them, for such things would have been a company's secret and not shared lightly with employees. Plus, he was also hoping to buy them more time to lure the Nightmare into a sense of false security, although their own sense of superiority in the dream world was probably helping him anyway.
"Ah, yes," Nightmare Chica remarked, grinning from ear to ear with a smile that seem to forewarn of something vile coming from her thoughts and the excited spark in her eyes only further added to that feeling.
"Vincent had some major help in getting his hands on them from their actual owner and creator."
She sighed, sounding very blissful as she talked.
"They are state of the art, not that they were ever designed to be cruel, but we've made them our own now."
Then she suddenly clicked her fingers, expressing a look of complete excitement.
"In fact, why don't we show them to you, I am sure that BB described them in vivid detail but seeing is believing after all."
"Great idea, N-Chica, why not make things a bit more festive," Nightmare Bonnie said eagerly.
"More company the merrier."
Yet Chica protested at the idea.
"Wait, why are you-"
DECLUNK!
Suddenly, all the lights went off, plugging the entire pizzeria into utter darkness. Immediately, Freddy felt the physical presence of the others near him, closing in to protect each other, should the Nightmares attempt to ambush them in the dark.
"Their designs are truly stunning, a true work of art," a voice called out from beyond Freddy's sight, but he knew it to be Nightmare Foxy.
"I think that you guys would like to see them up close."
"And while we are at it, let's go for a change in scenery, the old Freddy's is a bit too bland for my taste," Nightmare Chica uttered aloud, voicing her displeasures.
"How could someone as monstrous as you have any concept of 'taste'?" Freddy mentally muttered in disgust.
Then there came the sounds of the walls shifting, wood creaking, metal stretching and gears shifting, echoing everywhere at once as the Originals' minds mentally pictured what their eyes could not see. The sounds grew in their intensity, seeming to come in from every direction, reaching a new height of sound it as if they were screaming. Nor could they see the Nightmares' eyes, for there was no light in the darkness, no glow that would give away their location.
The sounds and not being able being to see what was going on scared the Originals, and they genuinely hoped that Goldie was watching in on them.
DECLUNK!
Suddenly the lights came back on, momentarily blinding the Originals as they had to cover their eyes.
When they lowered their hands, a damming sight met their eyes.
Animatronics, dozens of them filling the space before them, all appearing dormant, with their eyes closed. They were just as Balloon Boy had described them, polished, new and very realistic. The Rockstars stood idle on the main stage, with their instruments in their hands. Excluding the Rockstars' animalistic design it was almost like looking at yourself in the mirror. The animatronics known as Candy, Cindy and Blank were there somewhere off to the left side and they were also motionless and seemed to be asleep.
The Mediocre Melodies were stationed on the Rockstars' right, although they appeared to be frozen in a state of entertainment, with their hands on their instruments and eyes open, but they didn't play and nor did any sound come from them.
Cadet Candy was positioned among them, slightly leading forward in a manner that meant it was deactivated, with its array of colours looking dull and lifeless.
Near the Originals was the shiny and polished looking animatronic that was recognised as being Funtime Chica stood idle alongside the hulking form of Music Man, whose six legged appearance, big smile and black soulless eyes was unreeving to look at. Standing next to Music Man was the animatronic that was presumably El Chip, given his beaver design and Mexican style clothing, much like the other two he also appeared to be dormant.
Then standing before them all was Lefty himself, the one that Balloon Boy had been encased in like a prisoner within a cell.
The animatronic's human appearance could certainly fool anyone who didn't know the truth about it and yet having a human look to it made Lefty appear seem more unsettling than the others. Because you knew that underneath, he wasn't really human at all, just made to look it and there was some sinister element to that line of thinking, even if originally none had been intended.
Yet there were two more animatronics than BB hadn't recalled, one of which in particular looked like an animatronic version of himself, but much more feminine in terms of appearance. The animatronic wore a mixed yellow and purple shirt and beanie, with purple trousers and was decorated with two pink cheeks, possessing bright green eyes and light brown hair. Her design as very much like that of a munchkin from the Wizard of Oz, but as with Lefty, there was something of a dark edge about her, despite her innocent appearance.
On her chest was her name tag, identifying her as: Dee Dee.
Standing next to the animatronic known as Blank was an adult male monkey animatronic dressed in green overalls and possessed a red guitar. Much like the other animatronics in the group the monkey character was slumped forward and had his eyes closed, as if he was sleeping, but the Originals knew him to be dormant.
As with Dee Dee, the name tag was on his chest, it simply read as: Chester.
Every single animatronic looked brand new and fully capable of carrying out any task that was required of them, they were simply breath taking to gaze upon.
Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy were amazed by the mere sight of the animatronics that neither of them initially noticed the changes that had taken place around them.
When they finally did notice, they were shocked and a little unnerved.
The pizzeria had been altered, to the point where the differences were obvious and recognisable.
The dining area was still very much the same, although it had been enlarged to a similar size like that of the Toys' pizzeria. The wrecked pile of the chairs and tables had been removed, as if it never existed in the first place. Around the room were various neo stage lights and brand-new posters emphasising the words 'Only the guilty fear punishment', or 'Justice is long overdue' and 'Welcome to the circus of damnation'.
The toilets that were usually located on the dinning area's right side had vanished completely and were replaced by a series of filtration vents that were just big enough for someone to crawl through.
On the right side was a mixture of things, pirate's cove and the door to Parts and Service were still there, but between them was another door that didn't exist in their old pizzeria.
Where it led to was anyone's guess.
Now looking behind them, the entrance to the kitchen remained, but in addition, prize corner had been added with shelves and the Puppets' music box. The two hallways leading down to the security office were now gone and, in their place, stood two more vents and a door. It felt as if the entire pizzeria had been transformed into a brand-new version of itself, but with a cuddlier theme given the various animatronics on display. Yet it only acted a cover for the evil that lay hidden under its cute farce.
It very much felt like the prelude to a nightmare, when everything looked safe, before suddenly unravelling as the dreamer's fears took them into the darkness of their own mind.
Speaking of nightmare, where were the Nightmares themselves?
They were no longer on the stage, in fact they weren't anywhere to be seen, which instantly had the Originals rattled and feeling a heighten sense of nervousness. Even though they had the power to lucid dream and defend themselves against the Nightmares' apparitions, they were still fearful of things taking a drastic turn for the worst.
However, the Nightmares' absence was getting them all on edge, no matter where they looked, they could not find them. Foxy, having the best hearing out of all of them darted his head about in all direction, listening intensely for the slight sounds that would give away their location. His eyes were narrowed as he attempted to focus, fearing that in one moment his Nightmare counterpart could suddenly leap out of thin air and engage him in a brutal contest of strength.
And yet he found the lull to be far more unnerving, as the fear of the unknown crept into his mind.
"Where have they gone, they couldn't have left, otherwise none of this would be here," he thought, still looking all around him for any sign of his would be foes.
He quickly glanced back at the others and they were doing the same, looking gazing their eyes in all directions for any indication of the Nightmares' location, whilst trying to maintain a calm face.
"Why would they need all of these animatronics though?" Foxy mentally asked himself, only for the answer to suddenly hit him like a lighting blot to the chest.
He remembered Balloon Boy's recalling of his experience with the Nightmares.
It heavily involved the animatronics, with the Nightmares possessing them. . .
Then as if by pure coincidence, there came a creaking sound from Lefty, as the animatronic in question powered itself up, shifting its posture to becoming fully upright.
Foxy's eyes immediately widen as did the others, with Chica stepping behind Foxy for protection as Freddy and Bonnie gazed on in horror at the spectacle. Lefty slowly opened his eyes, as he tightly gripped his microphone, appearing to find himself staring at the group. His pupils, one being a bright yellow and other a blackness void narrowed as he smiled. The smile itself being an expression of delight, but it thinly veiled a dark intent.
Slowly, he stepped forward, his feet created a foreboding echo as he was the only one making any noise.
Finally, he spoke, with his voice being both youthful and confident.
"Fazbears, aren't you impressed by what you see, your replacements?" he asked, switching his gaze from one to the other.
"Not really," Bonnie muttered coldly, folding her arms.
"They can never come closer to the actual thing, for all their abilities, we'll always have the passion."
Visibly Lefty seemed to be impressed by her answer, tilting his head from side to side, as if he was thinking her words over, but he eventually responded.
"Still, they are a magnificent bunch and passion can be fabricated, in the end you would be replaced," he replied smoothly, before turning around to gaze at the various animatronics on display.
"I suppose that both of the missing children incidents were a blessing in disguise for you lot, as it prevented Fazbear Entertainment from substituting you and shelving these guys instead," Lefty said calmly, although he knew exactly what sort of reaction he was going to receive.
"It was anything but a blessing!" Chica snarled, feeling the urge to tear Lefty apart, limb from limb.
"We have more worth than these soulless replacements 'mate'!" Foxy growled, flaying his hook in an aggressive manner.
"The Toys didn't have any worth as they were meant to be disposed of, or 'put down' and you know that the blueprints for all of these guys exist, so you didn't mean much to the company in the end," Lefty remarked firmly, shaking his head in dismay. "Just a series of cogs in a machine that could be switched out at the company's leisure," he muttered dismissively, although his cold smile showed his true mood, even though he had his back to them.
Internally he was relishing the act of getting them annoyed.
Then quite suddenly Freddy marched forward and japed Lefty in the back, causing the animatronic to immediately spin round on the spot and judging by the look of annoyance on his face he didn't like the act. Freddy however couldn't care less as he stared Lefty down.
"Listen 'Nightmare Freddy'," he spoke in a frustrated, but cold tone.
Personally, he didn't know the identity of the Nightmare possessing Lefty. Yet he assumed that it was probably Nightmare Freddy, given how he had possessed Lefty last time when confronting Balloon Boy.
Yet, he could be wrong. . .
"These things aren't real, no matter how realistic you are able to make them look," Freddy argued sternly, with his annoyance morphing into anger as expressed by the dark look in his eyes.
"We're still here and always will be."
Lefty's annoyed expression dropped slightly with Freddy's next words.
"We know your weakness and you clearly know ours, but you offered to answer our questions and we're waiting."
Freddy lean in close, his eyes were ablaze with a cold fire that seem able to pierce Lefty's, but the animatronic wouldn't fold. Rather he smiled for he seemed to enjoy Freddy's intense glare.
"So, I'll ask, how does this all end?"
"And what does Vincent gain out this alliance with you?"
"Because if you ask me, looking back right now, everything that has happened to us since the First Missing Children's' Incident feels personal and for Vincent to keep on harassing us even after everything is long gone. He obviously must have a deeper motive than simply a bloodlust for killing children."
Lefty's smile remained, however in his eyes, or rather eye, his inner mood appeared to change, giving off a thoughtful expression.
Clearly Freddy's words had hit deep, but eventually he responded.
"How does this all end, well it should end as all great tragedies should, with absolute destruction for both the guilty and the innocent, so that in the end nothing remains," Lefty remarked smoothly, speaking with pure conviction in his tone.
"The slate shall be wiped clean and this story will end for all of us, we will all be at peace, although it will be peace on 'our' terms."
He then looked at Freddy in the eye and Freddy swore that he could sense the persona of Nightmare Freddy talking back to him through Lefty's voice box. The animatronic's words stuck a familiarity chord with him, as it was the same thing that BB had been told.
"There is no way, in which this game ends with everyone getting a happy ending."
The fact that the Nightmares intended to kill him, and others was no surprise, but it was now clear that everything that had been happening since the Nightmares had turned up was done with aim towards a particular goal.
It felt calculated, deliberate, almost surgical in its handling, like a strategic move on a chess broad against an opponent who only recently realised that they were playing.
Lefty continued to speak uninterrupted.
"And as for what Vincent gains, well our support, but you already know that, so I'll drop a hint instead."
"Through us, it is easier for him to achieve his happiest day, he could have easily returned to your dump of a home so many times in the past and killed you all, but he didn't. He doesn't want to end this feud quickly, no, because he wants to wear you down, to strip you of everything you hold close to your hearts, and he's done a pretty good job at it so far."
That was true, Vincent had single handled sunk Fazbear Entertainment, stained the Fazbears' past with blood and consigned them to waste away in a rundown pizzeria. Yet, putting everything into perspective, there was now a strong feeling of deliberation in Vincent's conduct that Freddy hadn't fully noticed before.
It was like a serial killer cutting up their victim piece by piece in a long and drawn out process. Bit by bit, they would remove parts of the body that weren't essential to the victim's survival, but would cause immense pain nonetheless, dragging out the screams for the torturer's sadistic enjoyment. This process would continue as the horrific ordeal neared its end, with the killer stripping the victim of nearly everything, bar the vital organs to keep them alive throughout the entire event, until finally, after taking the victim to the brink of death, they would end their agony with a gory and yet swift demise.
And Vincent had in effect done that, stripping Freddy and the others of everything they cared about, save for their own lives.
He could have killed him and the Puppet back in 1987, after he had knocked them both out when they'd encountered him in that hallway just after committing the second MCI, but he didn't.
Instead he had let them live, to feel the agony that he had caused and there was strong evidence of Vincent's actions leading towards a singular outcome.
"I only want to kill as many as I need to."
Freddy's memories flickered back to that moment, when Vincent had him in a chokehold. He didn't understand what Vincent meant by those words back then, but he did now. Vincent wasn't just killing kids because he wanted to, although there was no doubt that he enjoyed the act, taking passion in the savagery and horror of it. However, he always had a long-term goal in mind when carrying out such dark and vile acts, he was always looking at the big picture.
Even if the path to that particular goal was vague, which it had to be because there was no way in hell that Vincent would have able to twist events and his own knowledge in his favour without knowing the risks or adapting to changing circumstances. Yet, he clearly understood when an opportunity presented itself, or when it was going to appear and thus prepare for its arrival as best he could.
Freddy had questioned his own interpretation of Vincent recently and only now did he feel the various pieces beginning to reassemble themselves, forming a new image. Yet it was currently left unfinished, there were gaps that couldn't be filled with what he already knew, and he wanted to know more.
How much had changed in the last few days, it hadn't even been a week and already his long-held interpretations of past events were being ripped asunder with sudden reveals and reinterpretations. At this rate of new discoveries Freddy felt like he was going to start questioning everything soon. With old and new interpretations melding together to form an indecipherable mass of information that he wouldn't be able to pry open, no matter how hard he or anyone else tired.
Then a new realisation dawned on him, quickly cutting through the rest of his other thoughts to become centre stage in his mind.
Given the current state of things, he and his family had nothing left, but themselves and Mike and Jeremy's support, they didn't even have a proper home anymore.
Everything else had been stripped away from them.
That only left the killing blow, the move that would bring this nightmare of living suffering to an end. Vincent's recent intrusion into their lives after a long period of inactivity, the arrival of the Nightmares and even the resurrection of the murdered nightguards, could they all be a part of his attempts to create some sort of finale?
When the slate would be wiped clean and the nightmare would end for everyone. . .
Judging by Lefty's look of confidence, the Nightmare within him could sense Freddy's inner mood as the true picture began to finally show itself to him.
"You see it don't you?" Lefty asked modestly, now catching Freddy's attention.
"How little you understood back then and now when the curtains pull back, you are left with the haunting realisation that everything that happened was to cause pain, a deep and enduring agony, but not without good reason."
Then Lefty's smile dropped, and he became blank faced, showing no emotion as he slowly turned round and began to walk off towards the main stage, with the faint sound of his internal gears working away filling the air. Freddy, however wasn't ready to stop questioning, as in a moment of open anger, he reached out and grabbed Lefty by the shoulder, pulling him back hard, with more force than he intended, but Freddy's desire to know burned inside of him like a wildfire.
"No, you don't get to leave it on a cliff hanger like you always do, what do you mean by 'not without good reason'?" he demanded in an enraged tone.
"Everything done to us by that murderous bastard was 'justified' somehow, the hell he put us through was for a 'good cause', how exactly?" he roared, his inner annoyance having already morphed into anger fully burst onto the scene.
This time Freddy wasn't leaving empty handed, he would get some proper answers before this nightmare was officially over.
Lefty, or rather the Nightmare possessing him didn't like the sensation of being grabbed and he quickly spun round and with sufficient force smacked Freddy in the chest with his microphone hand. Lefty's angered look on his face was evidence enough of his displeasure towards Freddy's attempt to control him. The impact knocked Freddy back slightly, but he quickly moved to regain his footing, with Foxy immediately appearing on Lefty's right flank and slashed at his microphone with his hook arm. Foxy's hook caught Lefty's microphone and kept it pinned, bringing it away from Freddy, yet Lefty didn't act against Foxy.
Instead he remained stationary, keeping his focus on Freddy, despite Foxy being close by.
If the other Nightmares were still around, then they clearly hadn't come to their brethren's aid.
Lefty then straightened himself and fiddled with his bowtie, before speaking.
"What do I mean by everything being done with a good reason in mind, well, personally I don't think that it is my place to explain Vincent's motivations, I'll leave that to the man himself,"
However, Freddy grabbed hold of him viciously by the shoulders, not caring about the conquences of his actions, the anger in his eyes was evident.
"No," he said quietly in a low tone, although again the anger and frustration in his tone was obvious to everyone.
"You are going to tell me what Vincent's motive is, and I am well aware that you would know it, or I'll have to drag it out of you!" he demanded coldly. In the back of his mind, Freddy understood that he was probably playing into the Nightmares' hands. However, at the same time they didn't know that he and the others had gained the ability to lucid dream and if he could understand it fully, then he might be able to link up with the Nightmare's mind and viciously comb it for answers.
It would certainly be a shock to them and could even scare them into confessing the truth.
"What is Vincent's motive for everything, you forced us to come here, you should answer our questions in return," Chica growled, raising her fists, ready for a fight.
"And if you are Nightmare Freddy, then we have a score to settle," she hissed sternly, the rage in her eyes was evident as the memories of her injuries inflicted by him raced through her mind like a bullet train.
Bonnie was more level-headed, but she looked visibly angered with meeting nothing but more dead ends.
"You told BB that you need to kill us to free the child and therefore free yourselves, that's your motive, the motive of the nightguards is quite simple, but you're deliberately avoiding explaining to us what Vincent's motive is," she remarked in an annoyed tone and her eyes narrowed, visibly showing her frustration.
"Now why would that be exactly?" she enquired coldly.
She assumed however that the Nightmare was just teasing them and dragging the situation out for their enjoyment. After all, the offer of answers had been enough to bring her and the others here, so the Nightmares clearly understood how important and therefore enticing the lure of answers were to them.
Yet in the amidst of her thoughts, a question exploded into being.
"Why would Vincent call upon the aid of nightmares belonging to a child that he potentially has no connection to, is it just because in the case of that one child his nightmares become real sentient beings?"
The thought caught her full attention as she debated it, making her stop and wonder.
"But then, is there something special about this child that made his nightmares real or has this happened with other children as well?" she mentally asked, finding herself to be enwrapped by the theory.
"Was it just a cause of opportunity and either Vincent or the Nightmares reached out to eachother and their goals somehow became aligned?"
"Yet, given how they interact with eachother, it has to be something much deeper than that. . ."
Suddenly at that exact moment Lefty broke his right hand free of Foxy's grip with a hard tug and immediately proceeded to say.
"Did Balloon Boy tell you what Lefty's 'speciality' is?" he asked curiously, yet the dark intent in his voice was obvious.
"We can hurt you know," Bonnie said bitterly, putting her thoughts on hold to verablly counter him, but Lefty merely turned to her and smiled coldly. "True, but we can inflict far more pain then you can and Lefty here was redesigned for such a purpose," he said confidently, before turning his gaze back to Freddy, who was still gripping his shoulders.
"I wouldn't get too close to this particular animatronic if I were you."
Then his expression instantly darkened.
"Things can very claustrophobic. . ."
Then he whispered in a sinister tone.
"Let me make space for you, for there is room for one more. . .inside."
Instantly, several things happened simultaneously.
Both of Lefty's eyes rolled backwards, giving him an empty stare as his mouth now fully hung open, exposing his endo jaw.
He emitted an electric scream that filled the air with terror as he stretched his voice box to its limits.
"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!"
Freddy immediately covered his ears with his hands, as did the others and backed away, but as he did Lefty sprung his trap. His chest, revealing itself to be a series of plastic and metal plates covered by clothes and imitation human skin swung open wide and a terrifying mechanical claw leapt out of the dark confines, reaching for Freddy.
Thankfully, Chica and Bonnie were able to grab Freddy and pull him back beyond the claw's reach, with it snapping away at nothing but air. Foxy also jumped back in shock and horror, moving well beyond the claw's capability to grasp him if it tired. Yet Lefty didn't have a mechanical claw for snatching people in his stomach when Balloon Boy first met him.
However, a certain part of Nightmare Freddy's conversation with BB resurfaced in Bonnie's mind, as she recalled the memory.
"Lefty was never made and thus never used, well at least, not the way he was meant to be used."
"He is ours now, our creation, with a few special features added for our entertainment."
So, the Nightmares had seen Lefty's blueprints, twisted his design to suit their devious purposes and then changed his features again to be whatever they wanted for this occasion.
He had become their puppet, and now Bonnie could see the full innerworkings of Lefty and the Nightmares' handiwork. His endoskeleton was twisting and bending, the infamous springlocks were creaking and snapping, with there being a noticeable space in his stomach section. It was more than enough to fit a child, or even a young adult if Lefty's endoskeleton were to be pushed back further enough.
With his head twitching in a possessed state as his mouth hung open and both his eyes being two vacant black holes, Lefty looked terrifying to witness.
Then with his non microphone hand, he snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, light-hearted party music started to play from the stage, followed by the combined sounds of multiple animatronics turning themselves on, although it was being drowned out by Lefty's high pitch screaming.
Funtime Chica's faceplates shifted about as she rose fully upright, her purple eyes glowing bright as she looked around. Equally, Candy, Cindy and their group activated, their collective gaze turning in the direction of the Originals. Then playful retro music emitted from Cadet Candy's inbuilt speakers, as his colour pattern lit up. There came the sound of shifting gears as Music Man rose up to his full height through the use of his six spider legs and he cast his soulless black eyes at the Originals, as did Le Chip.
At the same time, the Mediocre Melodies and Dee Dee switched themselves on, their heads lifting upwards as their eyes flickered open. Immediately, like all the other animatronics, they turned towards the Originals and Lefty, almost as if on command.
Their collective expression was one of distrust, annoyance or an intent to harm.
"Looks like you guys are in a heap of trouble," Funtime Chica cooed sweetly, stepping forward as she flashed them a bright smile.
"How unfortunate, uh oh, how unfortunate, un oh!" Dee Dee sang, shaking her head left to right as she grinned coldly at Foxy in particular, her child like face expressing devious intent and malice. It was obvious that these animatronics were being directly possessed by the Nightmares, as they were walking and talking. Whereas all the others were merely stationary and just seemed to stare into nothingness.
Yet, it was also clear that the Nightmares were controlling the stationary animatronics, influencing them through some unseen channels.
Then lastly the Rockstar animatronics activated and as they did Lefty withdrew his chest claw and stopped screaming. In one swift motion, Lefty closed his chest plates, re-rolled his eyes forward and closed his mouth, he was back to normal with his human feature settling in across his body. It almost like the animatronic elements of his body had vanished without trace, but the Originals knew better.
A demon in disguise indeed. . .
The stage creaked as Rockstar Bonnie slowly stepped forward, holding his guitar. So, he was the fourth possessed animatronic, that at least completed the circle.
Although, why had they remained in the shadows, whilst Freddy had physically confronted one of their own was puzzling?
Unless, they figured that they didn't need to intervene at that particular moment.
"Hello boys and girls, are we ready?" Rockstar Bonnie asked in a cheerful tone, yet there was a dark undertone to his words, as he gazed over the entire scene, especially at the Originals.
"I hope that we are indeed ready, because the show will begin momentarily."
He then raised his hand, catching everyone's attention, although the numerous stationary animatronics maintained their malice filled gaze towards the Originals.
Lefty by this point had taken the opportunity to retreat and stand alongside Funtime Chica, with the Originals having let him go. They didn't wish to cause an uphill battle, but rather to keep playing into the Nightmares' illusion that the latter possessed all the cards. Their secret weapon would make its impact when the timing was ripe and they knew that Goldie was probably watching them, waiting for what felt like the right moment to intervene.
"Very soon, we'll have several extra guests joining our pizza party," Rockstar Bonnie said casually, although with an undertone of deviousness, as his eyes cast themselves over the whole gathering.
However, his words caused a spark of panic to erupt within the Originals' minds.
"Wait, do they know that Goldie is watching, are they even aware of what we plan to do?" Foxy mentally questioned.
He tried his best not to show his inner panic, but it was a worrying thought, because if the Nightmares somehow suspected a trap, then things could get nasty very quickly. It was just like what Chica had warned them about earlier at Jeremy's kitchen table.
What if they already knew that he and the others wouldn't come there willing, no one would put their lives on the line without some form of backup, especially in this type of situation. They were literally in the jaws of a waiting trap and it could be sprung at any time, particularly if the Nightmares felt that they were about to be ambushed. At that point they might either retreat or seek to take the chance to kill Foxy and the others in one go. Although that would be a good time to showcase their ability to lucid dream and to defend themselves.
"I just hope that Goldie is aware of going on, or else he'll be sorry," Foxy mentally grumbled, repressing his fear. Yet the heighten feeling of tension did not disperse but merely grew.
Turning to look at the others, Foxy could see that they were putting on a collective front of inner strength, so not to show their fear.
Bonnie looked stern and cold, with her eyes seeming to be lit with determination as she had her arms folded, waiting for what Rockstar Bonnie would say next. Chica appeared to blank faced, although her closed fists indicated her inner rage at the situation as well as her desire to get even with Nightmare Freddy, should the opportunity arise. Freddy meanwhile was a mixture of emotions, seeming to look determined, but also taken aback by the number of animatronics that they faced. To see himself in animatronic form felt strange, if not a little unnerving.
The everyone just seemed to be staring back at eachother as time appeared to stand time.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Suddenly, everyone's attention was immediately drawn by the sound of something banging loudly against the Parts and Services door.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
It sounded very angry and savage, with one blow instantly being succeeded by the next in a frenzied fashion.
Whatever was on the other side sounded desperate to get out.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
The door was repeatedly slammed against, with enough force to make its metal frame buckle and bend, as various dents began to appear in the metalwork.
BANG!
BANG!
Everyone was now staring at the Parts and Services door as the brutal hammering against it continued. The stationary animatronics just looked at the door with a collective blank expression, for they lacked the capability to be fazed or scared, being soulless machines. Even the animatronics that the Nightmares were possessing didn't look concerned, sharing the same unreadable expression as the others. However, Originals felt afraid, for they knew all too well what probably causing the banging, the anger and mere savagery of the act pained a clear image in their mind to whom the perpetrator were.
Then the possessed animatronics all smiled, particularly Lefty's whose smile was dark and foreboding, it was as if he could sense the Originals' inner fear as he turned to face them.
"Well, are you ready to be reunited with your all 'old friends'?" he asked, sounding very pleased with this new turn of events.
"It's good to see that they've shown up, after being guided in."
His words stirred up more questions in the Originals' minds.
How had 'they' been guided into a dream exactly?
Yet they dared not to ask, for their attention was fixed solely on the door.
BANG, BANG!
BANG, BANG!
BANG, BANG!
The banging sounds only grew louder and angrier, whatever lay behind that door, it really wanted to break free and it soon became clear that multiple things or people were involved in pounding away at it. The door was put under further stress with its metal framework groaning in protest as the dents that peppered it grew.
Lefty spoke in delighted anticipation of what was soon to come, with his voice having to rise in volume to overcome the friezed hammering against the Parts and Services door.
"This is round two and the skeletons in your closet are now out to play. . ."
You all know who is coming. ;-)
The stage is set, the lights are on, but are you ready for the performance of a lifetime?
This version of the pizzeria was heavily inspired by the mix up that was the UCN pizzeria (even though that one existed in hell/limbo), but it was a lot of fun to write up.
There be will more clarity in later chapter on how the dream world works, but think of it as a pocket dimension that can be accessed by those who are asleep. The physical connection allows people to connect their unconscious thoughts together and through that create one shared dream that they all exist in.
Please Review, your thoughts are greatly appreciated.